At least 25 people have been injured, four severely, after an explosion destroyed a building in the western city of Wuppertal.
German police say the explosion rocked the several-storey building shortly before midnight on Saturday with a large noise, scaring people in surrounding homes so much they ran out into the street in a panic.
Fire broke out in several different parts of the house and firefighters had trouble dousing the flames because parts of the building kept collapsing.
They were able to rescue four severely injured people from inside the building and sent them to the hospital.
Another 21 people were slightly injured and treated by emergency staff at the scene.
Police said they were still trying to get the fire under control early Sunday and were investigating the cause of the explosion.
They would not comment when asked if the explosion could possibly be terror-related.
A car nearby was destroyed, buried under window frames that were blown onto it by the impact of the explosion.
Emergency personnel picked up bricks and furniture on the street from the explosion.
Some of the building’s roof beams stood black and eerie in the smoke, as police scoured accessible parts of the building for further people trapped inside before giving the all-clear.
The place where the building stood is now a huge gap in a row of apartment buildings in the city’s Langerfeld neighbourhood.
(Metro)
