An 83-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man were killed and several more were injured Monday in a suspected car-ramming in the west German city of Mannheim, officials said.

Police would not immediately characterize the incident as an attack, but cars have been used as deadly weapons in recent months in Germany.

A vehicle drove into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least one person and leaving others seriously wounded, according to police. The city's police force said an operation was ongoing in the area and urged people to avoid central Mannheim.