Several killed as truck crashes into store in Stockholm terror attack; PM Modi condoles death, MEA issues helpline numbers

Stockholm: Several People were killed when a large beer truck crashed into an upscale department store in central Stockholm on Friday, killing several people and injuring many.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called the crash a terror attack and said that one person has been arrested.

People in the downtown area fled in panic, and Stockholm's Central Station for trains and the subway, which is a few hundred yards from the scene, was evacuated.

Broadcaster SVT said at least five people were killed in the attack while Swedish radio reported three dead, but police could not immediately confirm those reports.

The country's intelligence agency said a large number of people were wounded in the crash.

Live television footage showed smoke coming out of the upscale Ahlens department store on Drottninggatan Street, which the truck smashed into. The department store is part of Sweden-wide chain.

"Sweden has been attacked," AP quoted Lofven as saying in a nationally televised press conference. "This indicates that it is an act of terror."

Police said there were no indications of shooting in the area, as Swedish broadcaster SVT reported earlier.

However, one person was arrested in connection with the ongoing probe.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The prime minister said one person was arrested, but gave no further details.

"We stood inside a shoe store and heard something ... And then people started to scream," witness Jan Granroth told the Aftonbladet daily. "I looked out of the store and saw a big truck."

Photos from the scene showed a large beer truck sticking out of the department store. Aftonbladet reported that Swedish beer maker Spendrups said one of its trucks had been hijacked earlier on Friday.

Lofven, who was visiting a school in central Sweden hit by a bus crash Sunday that killed three high school students, said he and the Swedish government were being updated on developments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack and said India stands firmly with the people of Sweden in this hour of grief.

"We condemn the attack in Stockholm. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with those injured," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Sweden and Latvia also took to the social media platform, calling out to the Indian nationals in Stockholm affected by the `terror attack`.

"Any Indians affected in the terrorist attack in Stockholm are requested to contact the Embassy most urgently (08-4117090, 08-107008)," the tweet read.

However, Indian Embassy staff in Stockholm safely evaded the crash, sources in the embassy confirmed to ANI.

Indian Ambassador to Sweden Monika Mohta, said, "I heard loud noises and saw two people lying on street. I also saw three others injured."

She also informed that rail services have been temporarily haulted and the House of Culture has been shut down.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the staff at the Indian Embassy in Stockholm are safe although the attack site was very close.

I am in touch with Indian Ambassador in Sweden. The attack was very close to Indian Embassy. Our embassy officials are safe. @IndiainSweden

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 7, 2017

In a tweet message, she has also put out emergency numbers in case any Indians requiring help. 

Indians in Stockholm : Plz note the
Emergency number: 0768982764, Counsellor : 0734262097 @IndiainSweden #StockholmAttack

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) April 7, 2017

Friday's crash is near the site of a December 2010 attack in which Taimour Abdulwahab, a Swedish citizen who lived in Britain, detonated a suicide bomb, killing himself and injuring two others.

Abdulwahab rigged a car with explosives in the hope that the blast would drive people to Drottninggatan - the street hit on Friday - where he would set off devices strapped to his chest and back.

The car bomb never went off, and Abdulwahab died when one of his devices exploded among panicked Christmas shoppers.

Vehicles have been common weapons in recent extremist attacks.

Last month, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group, a man drove into a crowd on London's Westminster Bridge, killing three people and injuring many others before stabbing a policeman to death.

He was shot dead by police. A fourth person, a woman thrown into the Thames by the force of the car attack, died yesterday. 

(With agency inputs)