WASHINGTON, Jan 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd in a popular tourist district in the US city of New Orleans, city authorities said Wednesday.

"The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street. 

There are 30 injured patients ... and 10 fatalities," NOLA Ready, New Orleans emergency preparedness program, said in a statement.

Emergency authorities did not state the time of the incident, but the area would have been packed with revellers celebrating New Year in the district known as the French Quarter.

US media outlet CBS News cites witnesses saying a truck rammed into the crowd at "high speed" before its driver jumped out and started firing a weapon, with police returning fire.