Authorities have reported that three individuals have lost their lives and four others sustained severe injuries during an assault at a German festival.
The police revealed that the individual responsible for the attack on festival attendees in the western city of Solingen remains at large, as per the German news agency dpa.
Unidentified police sources indicated that the weapon utilized in the incident was presumed to be a knife. The assault transpired in a central plaza, known as the Fronhof.
As reported by Bild, innocent bystanders were indiscriminately attacked with a knife in an incident that commenced around 9:45 PM local time.
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The attack took place at a festival in the western city of Solingen
According to the local publication Solinger Tageblatt, one of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, announced from the stage that emergency personnel were battling to save the lives of nine individuals.
He urged festival attendees to “remain calm; please stay vigilant, as the assailant has unfortunately not yet been apprehended.”
Müller mentioned that numerous individuals had been injured by “a knifeman.”
As reported by Sky News’ European correspondent, Siobhan Robbins, a police operation is still actively ongoing in the vicinity.
People had gathered to celebrate the Festival of Diversity, which commenced on Friday to commemorate the city’s 650th anniversary, home to around 160,000 residents.
The event was originally scheduled to continue until Sunday, featuring multiple stages in the central streets showcasing attractions such as live performances, cabaret, and acrobatics.
Pic: AP
The festival has been halted, and attendees have been instructed to evacuate the vicinity, Robbins noted.
Solingen, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, is Germany’s most populous state and shares a border with the Netherlands.
‘It shatters my heart’
The mayor of the city, Tim Kurzbach, expressed that he would be praying for the victims.
In a post on Facebook, he stated, “this evening, we in Solingen are engulfed in shock. We all aimed to celebrate our city’s anniversary together, and now we mourn the loss of lives and injuries.”
He further expressed, “It shatters my heart that such an attack has occurred in our city.”
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