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At least 15 injured as car drives into crowd at Rio's Copacabana Beach

Brazilian media quoted police as saying the driver told them he had an epileptic seizure when he plowed into the Copacabana Beach boardwalk.

A car drove onto the crowded seaside boardwalk along Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, injuring at least 15 people, Brazilian authorities said Thursday night.

The Associated Press, Brazilian national TV and the national newspaper O Globo, which is based in Rio, reported that the driver had been taken into custody. The AP quoted a witness as saying at least one child was among the injured.

Image: Crash at Copacabana Beach in Rio
A vehicle that ran over people at Copacabana Beach is pictured on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.Sebastian Rocandio / Reuters

National TV and O Globo both quoted police as saying that the driver told investigators that the driver had suffered an epileptic seizure and that medicine for epilepsy was found in his car.

The car stopped in the sand after it apparently crossed the wide sidewalk that runs between the beach and a busy road. Several people were knocked down and could be seen lying on the ground.

Image: Rio Accident
Police next to a car that drove into the crowded seaside boardwalk along Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.Silvia Izquierdo / AP