Ten persons were killed and 30 were injured in the early hours of Wednesday in the city of New Orleans in the United States after a man drove his vehicle into a large crowd, CNN reported.

The police said that the man intentionally rammed a pickup truck into crowds on the city’s Bourbon Street during New Year’s Day celebrations. The incident occurred around 3.15 am local time, or 1.45 pm as per Indian Standard Time.

The driver’s actions were “very intentional”, said Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” she said.

The official said that the police did not believe that the man’s actions were the result of an impairment, according to CNN. “It was not a DUI [driving under the influence] situation,” the police superintendent said. “This was more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now.”

The police did not state whether the man was in custody, or what his condition was.

The man also allegedly shot two police officers after he crashed the vehicle, the BBC reported. The police officials were said to be stable.

The BBC quoted a witness as saying that he "walked past dead and injured bodies all over the street" after the incident.

The injured persons were sent to five hospitals across the city. The police said that as per preliminary information, most of those injured were local residents and not visitors.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will take over the case.