Three individuals have been killed and one other 4 critically injured in a knife assault within the western German metropolis of Solingen, police say.
The assault occurred throughout a pageant within the metropolis centre on Friday night. The attacker is reported to be nonetheless at giant.
Bild web site says a person randomly stabbed passers-by. A manhunt is now beneath method, with police helicopters seen hovering above town.
The economic metropolis was celebrating 650 years because it was based.
The town authorities requested individuals to depart the Fronhof market space, as police arrange safety cordons, following the assault at about 21:45 native time (20:45 BST).
Emergency crews on the scene had been seen treating the injured, media reviews stated.
Police later deployed 40 tactical automobiles within the hunt for the stabbing suspect, in keeping with Bild.
The automobiles are being commanded by SEK (Particular Process Drive) officers.
Roads have been blocked, and residents requested to remain indoors as officers perform their search.
Philipp Müller, one of many pageant organisers, stated the emergency crews had been combating for the lives of 9 individuals, the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper reviews.
“Persons are shocked, however left the sq. peacefully,” Mr Müller stated.
Eyewitness Lars Breitzke informed the newspaper that he knew one thing was incorrect when he noticed a singer on stage with a wierd expression on their face.
“After which an individual fell over only a metre away from me,” he stated.
In a Fb assertion, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach stated: “Tonight all of us in Solingen are in shock, horror and nice disappointment. All of us needed to rejoice our metropolis anniversary collectively and now we now have to mourn the lifeless and injured.
“It breaks my coronary heart that an assault has occurred in our metropolis. I’ve tears in my eyes once I consider these we have misplaced. I pray for all these nonetheless combating for his or her lives. Additionally my best sympathy for all those that needed to expertise this, these photographs will need to have been horrific.”
Chatting with the BBC afterward Friday, Solinger Tageblatt’s deputy editor Björn Boch stated the celebrations had been “presupposed to final for 3 days, and town anticipated 25,000 individuals each night time.
“The town was simply full of individuals,” he stated, estimating that “just a few 1000’s individuals” had been at Friday’s free occasion.
The celebrations have now been cancelled.
Solingen – a metropolis in North Rhineland-Westphalia well-known for its metal trade – has about 160,000 inhabitants. It lies about 15 miles (25 km) east of Düsseldorf and north-east of Cologne.
