Police in the western German city of Solingen report that a knife attack has left three people dead and four more critically injured.
On Friday,evening the attack took place during a festival in the city centre. It is said that the attacker is still at large.
The Bild website claims that a man stabbed bystanders at random. Right now, police helicopters can be seen circling over the city as part of a manhunt.
The industrial city was commemorating its 650th anniversary of founding.
Police are enforcing security cordons and asking people to leave the Fronhof market area, according to city authorities.According to media reports, medical personnel are currently tending to the injured at the scene.
“Three people slain in a knife attack in Germany”
According to the Solinger Tageblatt newspaper, one of the festival’s organisers, Philipp Müller, stated that nine people’s lives were being fought for by the emergency personnel.
Mr. Müller stated, “People are shocked, but they left the square peacefully.”
Witness Lars Breitzke told the newspaper that when he noticed a singer on stage with an odd expression on their face, he knew something was off.
“And then someone collapsed a mere metre from me,” he remarked.
“Tonight, all of us in Solingen are in shock, horror, and great sadness,” Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach wrote in a Facebook statement. While we all desired to commemorate our city’s anniversary together, we now have to grieve the victims.”I am deeply saddened by the news of an attack in our city. My eyes well up with tears when I consider the people we have lost. For everyone who is still fighting for their life, I pray. My deepest sympathies go out to everyone who had to go through this; these must have been horrifying pictures.
The population of Solingen, a Rhineland-Westphalian city well-known for its steel industry, is roughly 160,000. It is located northeast of Cologne and roughly fifteen miles (25 km) east of Düsseldorf.
[BBC]
