CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Reuters) - One person was killed on Saturday when a car slammed into a crowd in Virginia after clashes at a gathering of white nationalists who oppose plans to remove the statue of a Confederate general from a public park, officials said.

At least 34 people were injured in hours of violence between white supremacists and counter protesters in the town of Charlottesville. The state's governor declared an emergency and halted the white nationalist rally, while President Donald Trump condemned the violence.

"I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here," Charlottesville Mayor Mike Singer said on his Twitter feed.

Video on social media and Reuters photographs showed a car slamming into a large group of what appeared to be counter-protesters, sending some flying into the air.

The car incident was being treated as a homicide, local TV broadcaster WVIR reported, citing a city attorney.

“We’re closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia," Trump told reporters at his New Jersey golf course.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides."

A reporter shouted a question to Trump about whether he had spoken out strongly enough against white nationalists but the president made no comment.