A man has driven his car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring eight people, four seriously, officials say.

They include a woman who had to have both her legs amputated.

After the car came to a halt against a shop window, the driver emerged holding a knife and injured a passer-by who gave chase, before the suspect was overpowered.

The suspect, 31, has been identified by officials as an Italian national of Moroccan origin. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described Saturday's incident as "extremely serious".

Meloni, who has cancelled her planned visit to Cyprus, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella will visit the injured people later on Sunday.

At a news conference on Saturday evening, the prefect of Modena Fabrizia Triolo said that El Koudri had been referred to a mental health centre in 2022 for "schizoid disorders", but had then "disappeared without a trace".

The incident occurred around 16:30 (14:30 GMT), when the speeding car hit the pedestrians in Via Emilia next to the iconic cathedral of Modena, south-east of Milan. The vehicle then veered left before coming to a halt against a shop window.

"We saw the car approaching, it was heading for the kerb," an eyewitness said.

"It suddenly accelerated - it was going at least 100km/h (62mph)."

"We saw people flying," the witness told Italian media.

Modena's Mayor Massimo Mezzetti said it appeared the driver "deliberately drove on to the pavement, hitting several people and crashing into a shop window".

"He then got out of his car and brandished a knife," Mezzetti said.

Five women and three men have been injured.

Luca Signorelli told Italian media he was trying to help the woman when he noticed the driver trying to run away.

Signorelli said he gave chase and the attacker turned on him with a knife in hand. He received a blow to the head and one on his chest before being able to restrain the suspect, with the help of other passers-by.

The mayor said the suspect was born in the province of Bergamo, close to Milan. He lives in the province of Modena.

Italy's far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigrant League party, named the suspect on X as Salim El Koudri, describing him as a "second-generation criminal".

Italian media say the economics graduate is unemployed and has no criminal record.