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Explosion reported in downtown Cologne Bomb goes off in downtown Cologne
(about 3 hours later)
German police have sealed off the surrounding area, with local media claiming the blast might have taken place at a nightclub German police have reported that one person sustained minor injuries as a result, with the suspect still at large
German police have sealed off downtown Cologne amid reports of an explosion in Hohenzollernring area, which is known as the city's main entertainment district. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), officials have asked motorists to avoid the area. So far, authorities have not revealed any details as to the nature of the blast or whether it has caused any casualties.
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper originally speculated that the incident may have taken place at a nightclub. German police have sealed off downtown Cologne following an explosion in the Hohenzollernring area, known as the city’s main entertainment district. Officials have revealed that one man sustained minor injuries in the incident, with authorities searching for a suspect caught on CCTV footage.
A reporter at the scene told his colleagues that the blast had apparently taken place outside a shopping mall and the Vanity Club nightclub. In a statement on Monday, Cologne police revealed that the blast occurred at around 5.45am that same day, leaving the 53-year-old man wounded. The explosion also inflicted serious damage to the doors and windows of the building outside which it took place.
T-online media outlet quoted a police spokeswoman as relaying that the explosion had happened at around 5:50am outside an unidentified building. “On the basis of police video surveillance records, the police are searching for a man that is believed to be connected with the act, and who ran toward Friesenplatz after the explosion,” the statement reads. The suspect was dressed in a white-and-blue coat, dark pants and sneakers, the authorities reported.
Radio Köln claimed that one person had sustained mild injuries as a result of the incident and has been taken to hospital. The explosion also reportedly led to a fire, which had been extinguished by the time firefighters arrived.
EXPRESS.de stated, citing a police representative, that no one had been injured in the blast.
The media outlet reported that it had obtained CCTV footage of a man in a hoody who apparently left a bag outside one of the entrances. The explosion happened shortly thereafter, EXPRESS.de claims.
Videoüberwachung zeigt #Explosion in #Kölnpic.twitter.com/LS8ZVlqgSUVideoüberwachung zeigt #Explosion in #Kölnpic.twitter.com/LS8ZVlqgSU
It also quoted local resident Santo Sposito as saying “early in the morning, there was a powerful bang that woke me up. Then I immediately watched out the window and saw a fire in the entrance area. Then I called the firefighters.” According to the police, the crime scene remains cordoned off as investigators still work there.
The man also told the outlet he’d seen several individuals running away from the scene in the immediate aftermath of the blast. Earlier in the day, several media outlets reported that the explosion had taken place outside the Vanity Club nightclub.
Bild reported that a cleaner was injured in the explosion. According to the local press, a small fire broke out immediately after the blast, which had been extinguished by the time firefighters arrived.
The tabloid also released what appears to be CCTV footage of the moments leading up to the blast. It shows a man dumping a bag outside Vanity Club, then setting fire to an object and throwing it inside the bag. The package subsequently explodes. EXPRESS.DE quoted local resident Santo Sposito as claiming to have seen several individuals running away from the scene in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
In its message on X, police have said they will post more details later on as the investigation at the site is underway. Bild released what appears to be CCTV footage of the moments leading up to the blast. It shows a man dumping a bag outside Vanity Club, then setting fire to an unidentified object and throwing it inside the bag. The package subsequently explodes.