A motorist rammed pedestrians and cyclists Wednesday on Île d’Oléron, a French island off the Atlantic coast, injuring several people before being detained by gendarmes, officials said.

Two of the injured were in critical condition, said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. He said an investigation has been opened and he was heading to the scene.

Dolus-d’Oléron Mayor Thibault Brechkoff said in a social media post that several deliberate collisions occurred in the two towns and “affected” nine people. A crisis cell was set up and the suspect was arrested, he said.

The incidents took place along roadside areas between the two communes, with first calls around 9:00 a.m, according to local media.

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