Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' famed Canal and Bourbon Street in the first hours of New Year's Day, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency.

New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities. NOLA Ready advised people to stay away from the area.

It said the injured had been taken to five local hospitals.

The incident came toward the end of New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans and hours before the kickoff of the AllState Bowl, a college football quarterfinal held in the city's Caesars Superdome, with thousands expected to be in attendance. (AP)