One dead after truck hits crowds during Pride parade

20 June 2021, 07:56

One person has died and another is seriously injured after a vehicle struck spectators at a Pride parade in Florida, authorities said.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis confirmed the crash occurred on Saturday evening at the Stonewall Pride Parade in the nearby city of Wilton Manors, WSVN-TV reported.

One of the victims later died from their injuries, Mr Trantalis said, and WPLG-TV reported the driver of the truck was taken into custody.

"This is a terrorist attack against the LGBT community," he told reporters.

"This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident."

Photos and video from the scene showed Democratic US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz in tears while in a convertible at the parade.

Spectator Christina Currie told the South Florida SunSentinel: "We were at the start of the parade, right in front of Fort Lauderdale High School.

"All of a sudden there was a loud revving of a truck and a crash through a fence. It was definitely an intentional act right across the lanes of traffic."

Wilton Manors police tweeted on Saturday night that the public is not in danger.

"A tragic incident occurred at today's Stonewall event," Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton said in a statement, according to WPLG-TV.

"Out of respect for everyone involved, the parade has been cancelled and a thorough investigation is being conducted."

June is Pride Month, commemorating the June 1969 police raid targeting gay patrons at the Stonewall Inn in New York that led to an uprising of LGBTQ Americans and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.