We're just wrapped up a very fast-paced 24 hours on the beautiful French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, where we travelled after hearing about a shocking incident involving a man driving into a crowd during a Christmas celebration.

At first, the information surrounding the event was hard to find and contradictory. Was it a terrorist attack? How many people were injured or killed? Was it aimed at a Christmas market, as we have seen in Europe?

With rumours spreading online, we felt it was our duty to come here and verify the facts and bring the public accurate reporting.

After hearing from locals in Guadeloupe, some of whom preferred not to appear on camera, we now have a clearer understanding of what happened.

The incident happened at Place Schœlcher, near the church during a Christmas event. Around 400 people, including many families, were gathered there. At around 7:30 p.m., a man, reportedly under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, came down the hill, apparently hit a car and drove into a crowd of people who were waiting in line at a food truck.

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Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but local authorities said 19 people were injured, including several children. One child had to be pulled from underneath the car and was transported to hospital with other victims following the incident.

Locals told Rebel News that alcohol and drug use is a problem on the island, and that they found the incident deeply shocking.

One thing is clear: the residents have dismissed concerns of terrorism.

Although some have left the island in the past to join jihadist groups, those we spoke to insisted this was not related to terrorism. Authorities are examining the man's background and the circumstances that led to this tragedy.

It's understandable that some initially feared the worst; the West has been the target of multiple terrorist attacks, especially during the Christmas season.

In this context, it was impossible to rule out the possibility of an attack in the first hours after the incident was reported. For now, the investigation continues.