Two killed, 20 injured as car rams into supporters of Liberian President-elect Boakai

Two people died and at least 20 were injured when a car ploughed into a crowd of supporters of Liberian president-elect Joseph Boakai, police and hospital staff said on Tuesday.

Police did not give a reason for the incident, which occurred on Monday evening, but a spokesman for Boakai's Unity Party said they believed it was a deliberate act.

The driver had fled the scene, police said.

"Two people are dead and one is in critical condition," said Sia Wata Camanor, a senior member of staff at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) hospital in the capital, Monrovia.

Twenty others had been injured, she told AFP.

Police were searching hospitals for other victims.

Boakai's party said the car drove into supporters celebrating outside their headquarters between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm on Monday after Boakai was officially declared the winner of last week's election.

"It just picked up with speed and ran into the supporters," party spokesman Mohammed Ali told AFP on Monday evening.

Ali quoted witnesses as saying the driver of the car, which was parked near the celebrating supporters, flashed the headlights, then turned them off and drove into the crowd.

He said it was hard to believe the vehicle had experienced a mechanical failure or that the brakes had failed.

Videos posted on social media showed bloodied people lying on the ground, some receiving medical assistance.

Police official Melvin Sacko said on Monday that 16 casualties -- 12 men and four women -- had been taken to the JFK hospital.

Liberia's electoral commission said on Monday that Boakai had won 50.64 per cent of the vote, against 49.36 per cent for outgoing president George Weah.

The outgoing president and former football star won praise abroad for conceding and promoting a non-violent transition in a region marred by coups.

"Tonight, the CDC has lost the election, but Liberia has won. As your President until the handover of power, I will continue to work for the good of Liberia," Weah assured the nation on Saturday, promising a smooth transition.

Story by AFP