Four people remained "very, very ill in hospital" on Tuesday after a car crashed into a crowd during Liverpool’s Premier League title parade the night before, the region’s mayor said.

A 53-year-old white British man, believed to be the driver, was arrested on Monday. Police said the incident was not being treated as terrorism.

“We are hoping of course that they pull through,” Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City region, told BBC radio about the four people.

The incident stunned the city, with morning newspapers featuring images of the tragedy. Headlines like “Horror at Liverpool parade” in The Sun and “Carnage at parade” in the Daily Mail captured the shock of what was meant to be a night of celebration.

Minutes after the team’s open-topped bus passed, a dark-colored vehicle swerved through the crowds, hitting people as it sped down Water Street.

Emergency workers reported that 27 football fans were taken to hospital, including two seriously injured. Four children were among those hurt, with one child seriously injured.

“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it,” said Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims.

“The incident is not being treated as terrorism,” she added.

Despite the torrential rain, hundreds of thousands had turned out to celebrate Liverpool’s record-equaling 20th English league title.

Witness Harry Rashid described the moment, saying, “It was extremely fast. Initially we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of the car. It was horrible and you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”

Twenty other people received treatment at the scene in a large tent set up on the street. Four people, including a child, had been trapped under the car and were removed by firefighters.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the “remarkable bravery shown by the police and other emergency services” and expressed support for those injured. “The whole country stands with Liverpool,” he said.

Social media showed the car being stopped and surrounded by angry fans who smashed its back windows while police tried to control the crowd.

Earlier, Liverpool had been filled with red-clad supporters celebrating the title with manager Arne Slot and players like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool Football Club expressed condolences on social media, saying they were working closely with Merseyside police and that their “thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.”

Rival club Everton also extended their sympathy, stating their “thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city.”

Liverpool’s football history carries a shadow of tragedy. In 1989, 97 fans died in the Hillsborough disaster, Britain’s deadliest sporting tragedy. More than 760 people were injured that day, a trauma that still haunts the city.

In 1985, 39 mainly Italian fans died when a wall collapsed at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels during disturbances between Liverpool and Juventus supporters. While this recent incident in Liverpool echoes a similar tragedy in Vancouver last April, where a driver killed nine people after plowing through a crowd gathered for a Filipino cultural celebration.