19 injured after car hits pedestrians in Melbourne; driver arrested

19 people were injured after a vehicle has driven into pedestrians at Melbourne's main Flinders Street railway station during the evening rush hour, police said Thursday, adding they had arrested the driver.

Some of the injured are seriously hurt, Victoria state police said.

Sky News Australia reported that a pre-school child with a head injury was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A witness, Sue, told Melbourne radio station 3AW that she heard screams before she saw "people flying everywhere".

"We could hear this noise, as we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down," she said.

"People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere."

The incident appears similar to an incident in January when a car was driven into pedestrians at the same spot, killing six people and injuring thirty.

The driver, Dimitrious Gargasoulas, is facing trial on six murder charges. It was not deemed a terrorist act.