Zanardi suffers critical injuries in crash

Zanardi, who had led the race before a splash'n'dash pit stop, spun on cold tyres in the middle of Turn 1 while in the process of rejoining the track. Stranded in the middle of the circuit, he was then struck in the side by Tagliani's car at a speed estimated at around 180mph.

The nose section of Zanardi's Mo Nunn Reynard-Honda was torn off ahead of the cockpit bulkhead in the ferocious impact, while Tagliani's car continued through the debris and hit the wall on the exit of the turn.

Tagliani was "awake and alert" on arrival at the circuit's medical centre, but Zanardi was airlifted immediately to the Klinikum Berlin-Marzahn hospital in Berlin.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident Zanardi was breathing unaided and responding to commands, but had suffered severe injuries, including the amputation of one leg below the knee and the amputation of the other above the knee.

In the latest official update on Zanardi's condition (Saturday evening, approx 22:00 BST), CART director of medical affairs Dr Steve Olvey said he underwent a three-hour operation that resulted in the traumatic amputation of both legs above the knee.

A CT scan of Zanardi's head was normal. He sustained a moderately severe concussion and was beginning to show signs of purposeful movement before going into surgery at about 18:00 local time (17:00 BST).

He also sustained several small fractures of the pelvis that did not require surgery. As of late Saturday night, Zanardi was in a critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, where he is expected to remain for the next several days.

In a statement, Zanardi's team owner Mo Nunn, who also guided him to both his CART titles at Chip Ganassi Racing, said: "We are devastated by the extent of Alex's injuries. But we are so very thankful that he is on his way to surviving such a tremendous impact. All of our thoughts and prayers are with Alex and his family. He has quite a battle ahead of him, but knowing what a fighter Alex is, we're confident he'll be able to return home to be with his family and friends very soon."

Tagliani was later taken to Berlin too, but is suffering only bruising and minor back pain. A CAT scan and X-rays showed no serious injuries, but he will be kept in hospital for between 24 and 48 hours for observation.

Updates as we get them.