Australian officials say a car drove into a large crowd standing on a road to cheer on the Newcastle Knights rugby team north of Sydney, injuring multiple people.

The driver was arrested ‌at the scene in the ‌city about 110 km (68 ‌miles) ⁠north of the ⁠New South Wales state capital, Sydney.

Authorities could not ​confirm how ‌many people had been injured, a police spokesperson said, adding ‌that initial indications suggested ​the incident was not terrorism-related.

Multiple ⁠people, including children, were critically injured, Newcastle ‌Mayor Gavin Morris said in televised remarks.

Thousands had lined the city’s streets to farewell the Newcastle ‌Knights rugby league team ​due to compete in the country’s National ⁠Rugby League grand final ⁠in Sydney on Sunday (October 4, 2026), the Australian ‌Broadcasting Corp reported.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)

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