Three people have been killed and four were seriously injured in an attack at a German festival, police have said.
They added the perpetrator of the attack on festivalgoers in the western city of Solingen was on the run, German news agency dpa reported.
It cited unidentified police sources as saying the weapon was believed to be a knife. The attack happened on a central square, the Fronhof.
Passers-by were stabbed at random, according to Bild, in an attack reported to have started at about 9:45pm local time.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The attack took place at a festival in the western city of Solingen
The local Solinger Tageblatt newspaper reported that one of the festival organisers, Philipp Müller, said on a stage that emergency workers were fighting for the lives of nine people.
Pic: AP
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
According to Sky News’ European correspondent, Siobhan Robbins, a police operation in the area is still ongoing.
People had gathered for the Festival of Diversity which started on Friday to mark the 650th anniversary of the 160,000-strong city.
It was supposed to run through to Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.
The festival has now been stopped and people have been told to leave the area, Robbins added.
Solingen is in North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous and bordering the Netherlands.
The city’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach, said he was “horrified” by the attack, saying it had left him with “great sadness”.
He said he would be praying for those injured while also expressing sympathy for the people who witnessed the attack.
The mayor said in a Facebook post that “this evening, we in Solingen are all in shock. We all wanted to celebrate our city’s anniversary together and now have dead and wounded to lament”.
“It breaks my heart that an attack on our city happened,” he added.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
