Mostar woman in Berlin: People were lying motionless in blood

Blood, fear, horror – these are the descriptions of the square in Berlin after a truck ran over visitors to the Christmas market in the German capital.

The vehicle sped past Lana Šehović, her parents, and her fiancé as they were visiting stalls, Al Jazeera writes, as reported by Patria.

– We were standing at a stall because Dad and my fiancé wanted to order something. Mom was behind me. I insisted that Dad and I walk further, to get him something else to eat, but no, he wanted to eat what my fiancé was eating – says the woman from Mostar who has been living in Berlin for more than five years.

Her parents, who survived the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, came to visit her these days. No one suspected what awaited them.

– In one moment, I just hear a loud noise, I turn around... I see a huge truck, people on the ground, I don't see Mom... Just that they are all on the ground... Injured, blood in places... – Šehović tells Al Jazeera.

– I scream, I look for Mom, and I turn to Dad and see him getting up from the floor... Mom got up then too. Someone pulled Dad to the ground. The force of the truck (it passed 20 centimeters from her) made Mom bend down. When I saw they were okay, Mom and I ran to the girl next to us... She was lying on the ground, motionless. I ask her if she's okay, she says no – and her head falls... Her gaze is lost...”

Blood on the street

She adds that her father wanted to help the unfortunate girl, but she didn't allow him because she was afraid the girl was more seriously injured.

– I went to call an ambulance, and then my fiancé arrives, pulls us aside and says the ambulance is on its way, that we have to run, that we don't know what else is coming. We couldn't take public transport home, we just got into a taxi – she further states.

Šehović, when we spoke with her, was safe, but the images of horror were still before her eyes.

– People are lying on the ground, motionless, blood... The truck was driving at 80 kilometers per hour and mowed down all the people who were there... I'm still shaking inside and I can't get rid of those images, I can't get rid of the feeling that I lost my family. Mom and Dad survived the war in BiH, they come to visit me, and then this...

She points out that she didn't even consider the possibility of an attack in Berlin this year.

– Last year was tricky, and the topic was much more current. Tension could be felt in the air. This year, people were simply enjoying the Christmas atmosphere, they finally relaxed a bit.”

Tense days ahead for Berlin

Šehović thinks that the coming days in the German capital will be tense.