UPDATE - 9 dead as truck crashes into Berlin Christmas market

ADDS WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNATION

BERLIN (AA) – At least nine people were killed when a truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin late Monday, according to German authorities.

Police said officers and ambulances had been dispatched to the scene in the Charlottenburg district.

Witnesses reported the truck driver ran away after the attack and police said an investigation is being conducted into whether the crash was a terror attack.

In Washington, the White House condemned what it said “appears to have been an attack” and offered assistance to German officials "as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident.

"Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies," spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Michael Hernandez contributed to this report from Washington.