Several people were killed and several injured in a knife attack on Friday at a festival in the western German city of Solingen, German police said. Düsseldorf police spokeswoman Anja Kynast tells CBS News that at least three people were killed and four others were injured in the attack. Solingen is approximately 28 miles from Düsseldorf.
Local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt reported that authorities were urging people to leave central Solingen and that one of the festival organizers, Philipp Müller, said on stage that rescue workers were fighting for the lives of nine people.
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In a post on social media, Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach wrote that the city was “in shock, horror and great sadness. We all wanted to celebrate our city anniversary together and now we have to mourn the dead and injured.”
German news agency dpa quoted unidentified police sources as saying the weapon was believed to be a knife and that no arrests had yet been made. The attack took place in a central square, Fronhof.
The festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary began on Friday and was due to run through Sunday.
Solingen has approximately 160,000 inhabitants.
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