A 42-year-old local man with a history of psychological problems was arrested in Málaga yesterday lunchtime after careering up and down a busy pedestrianised street, injuring nine people.

Two female tourists - a 62-year-old Italian and a 42-year-old German - are fighting for their lives in the intensive care departments of two local hospitals. Three others, including a 52-year-old man who remains under observation, also required hospitalisation.

The incident occurred at around midday when the man, who was driving a black Rover, sped up and down the central calle Marqués de Larios, that was packed with locals and the passengers from a visiting cruise ship.

He was detained at the scene by an off-duty National Police officer after the driver of a municipal garbage truck used his vehicle to block the street.

A police insider explained later that the man, who tested negative for alcohol, could only give "an incongruent and meaningless" explanation for his actions though his family have since confirmed that he stopped taking a course of medication he has been on for the last ten years, just a few days ago.