Manhunt underway after woman killed, several injured at Swiss rave shooting
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Swiss police officers patrol a street in downtown Aarau after reports of a shooting on Aug 30.
PHOTO: EPA
GENEVA – A 22-year-old woman has been killed and five people injured, some seriously, in a shooting at a rave party in the Swiss town of Aarau, local police said on Aug 30.
All the victims are Swiss residents and in their 20s, police said, adding a manhunt was underway and large areas of the town had been cordoned off.
They appealed to the public for any images of the incident.
A 34-year-old witness, who asked for anonymity, told Reuters he heard shots shortly after the music stopped at 2.30am on Aug 30 (8.30am Singapore time), which he initially mistook for fireworks.
Some took cover behind a DJ booth and one woman hid behind a refrigerator but was hit in the back by a bullet and bled to death despite efforts to revive her, he said.
“It’s just incredibly tragic. She was young,” he told Reuters. “That something like this could happen in Aarau, at a local event, is simply unimaginable. I still can’t really process it.”
Police said a 22-year-old woman died from her injuries at the scene. They have increased their presence beyond the town - about 50 km west of Zurich - as a precaution.
Reuters footage showed armed officers patrolling the area, police convoys moving through the streets and armoured vehicles parked near to the crime scene.
The organisers’ website advertised the event as a techno party at a covered horse racetrack, with 3,500 people expected to attend.
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe although violent shootings are rare and it approved tighter gun control rules in 2019. REUTERS
