Girl dead after car deliberately drives into restaurant near Paris

The driver of the car has been arrested, although it is not being treated as a terrorist attack

French gendarmes maintain a roadblock a certain distance from the scene where a car ploughed into the outdoor terrace of a pizzeria, killing a girl and injuring several other people. Credit: Benoit Tessier/ Reuters
Powered by automated translation

A girl has been killed and at least 11 other people have been injured after a car was intentionally driven into a pizza restaurant in a small town, east of Paris, French police said.

The girl, who has been reported as being 12-years-old, died immediately after a BMW slammed into the sidewalk cafe in Sept-Sorts. Her brother was also thought to be seriously injured.

The driver of the vehicle, who has not been named by police, has been arrested.

A judicial official said the incident has not been referred to the Paris prosecutor's office, which oversees French terrorism investigations.

The attack was a deliberate one, although officials said they did not believe there was a political or terrorist motive behind it.

"There is no doubt that he voluntarily decided to create what happened," prosecutor Eric de Valroger said at the scene of the incident.

The incident comes one week after a man drove his car into a group of French soldiers, injuring six people.