45-year-old Indian-Australian Rohit Kaul was crossing the busy pedestrian junction at Flinders Street on Thursday noon when a car ploughed into the crowd injuring 19 people.
It is claimed the car, a white Suzuki, ran a red light just around 4.40pm on Thursday.
CCTV footage of the scene showed the vehicle ploughing into 19 pedestrians before the car crashed into the tram stop at the Flinders St/Elizabeth St junction.
A damaged vehicle is seen at the scene of an incident on Flinders Street, in Melbourne, Thursday, December 21, 2017. Source: AAP
19 people were injured with one man in his 80s in a critical condition and 12 people in hospital as of Friday morning, according to Victoria Police's acting commissioner Shane Patton.
Patton said the victims were from various countries including South Korea, China, Italy, India, Venezuela, Ireland and New Zealand.
“It is very varied about who has been victims in this attack,” he said.
Among those injured is 45-year-old Melbourne resident Rohit Kaul who was on phone with his family when he was struck by the white car.
Source: Supplied
"My husband was talking to my son Avi and crossing the intersection. Suddenly, my husband’s phone fell down and we could hear loud noises and people screaming on the other side before the line went dead," Natasha Kaul told PTI.
"We tried to call him on his mobile but there was no response. We soon got a call from a fellow Indian who said my husband was injured and was being taken to a hospital," she added.
Mr Kaul was taken to The Alfred hospital on Thursday. He has suffered leg injuries and will undergo a surgery.
"He is stable," Mrs Kaul said.
The family originally hails from Jammu & Kashmir in India.
Police arrested two men, including the driver, following the incident on Thursday.
Source: Twitter
Police said the driver is an Australian citizen of Afghani descent with a history of mental illness. They said he did not have links to terrorism.
Herald Sun have identified the driver as 32-year-old Saeed Noori. He was taken to hospital and remains under police guard.
The second man, 24, was initially arrested but police have since said he has no links to the incident.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the incident in Flinders Street was an act of evil.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at a media conference after a speeding car ploughed through pedestrians at Flinders Street in Melbourne's CBD. Source: AAP
“This was an attack on innocent bystanders – people finishing their Christmas shopping, heading home from work, unwinding for the year.
“They did not deserve this. Our city did not deserve this,” he said in a statement.
