Multiple people have been killed and several more have been left injured after a mass stabbing attack in Germany.
A man stabbed passers-by attending a city festival in Solingen at around 9.45pm.
The attack took place at random and witnesses said the perpetrator was still at large.
Police helicopters have been seen hovering over the city but no arrests have been made as of yet.
At least nine people were stabbed, with three reportedly killed so far.
Violence erupted at the festival marking the anniversary of Solingen, some 25 kilometres from Dusseldorf.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is now on high alert, with large parts of Solingen cordoned off.
Local police declared a major emergency and launched a manhunt for the suspected knifeman.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The German city was celebrating the 659th anniversary of its creation.
Approximately 80,000 people were expected to head to Solingen over the next three days.
Solingen also has about 160,000 inhabitants and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.
Two DJs who were set to perform at the festival today claimed their set had been cancelled following the attack.
“Beyond devastated,” they posted on X/Twitter.
“Our show in our beloved hometown #solingen got cancelled last minute. Several people got stabbed. Stay safe everyone!”
Local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt claimed that authorities called on people to leave the city’s downtown area.
Festival organiser Philipp Muller revealed emergency services were fighting for the lives of nine people.