Driver rammed pedestrians and cyclists on Ile d'Oleron, man arrested

A driver rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the French island of Île d'Oléron on Wednesday morning, injuring multiple people and prompting the arrest of a man in his mid-30s, authorities said. The series of collisions occurred along roadways between the villages of Dolus-d'Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron at about 8:45 a.m. local time, and several victims were taken to hospital, officials said.

Accounts of the number of injured vary in initial reports. Local authorities and media cited between five and ten people struck; several accounts said nine or ten were hit, with at least two in critical condition. Victims included pedestrians and cyclists; some were airlifted to the University Hospital of Poitiers, according to local officials. Those injured were reported to range in age from young adults to older residents, and one report said a young girl was among the victims.

Police arrested a 35-year-old French man at the scene after he abandoned his vehicle and attempted to flee, prosecutors said. The suspect resisted and was subdued with a stun gun, the public prosecutor for La Rochelle, Arnaud Laraize, said. He has been taken into custody and is being investigated for...