German police have sealed off the surrounding area, with local media claiming the blast might have taken place at a nightclub
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.
A reporter at the scene told his colleagues that the blast had apparently taken place outside a shopping mall and the Vanity Club nightclub.
T-online media outlet quoted a police spokeswoman as relaying that the explosion had happened at around 5:50am outside an unidentified building.
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 #Köln pic.twitter.com/LS8ZVlqgSU
— optimuz (@optimuzpoet) September 16, 2024
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.”
The man also told the outlet he’d seen several individuals running away from the scene in the immediate aftermath of the blast.
Bild reported that a cleaner was injured in the explosion.
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.
In its message on X, police have said they will post more details later on as the investigation at the site is underway.
