1 killed, 5 others injured in shooting at rave party in northern Switzerland’s Aarau; hunt on for attacker
At least one person was killed and five others were injured being hit by gunfire near a rave in Switzerland‘s northern region in wee hours of the days, the police said on Sunday. The incident happened in Aarau, which is 46 km (28.5 miles) west of Zurich and has about 22,300 residents.
The death count may rise as some of the wounded people are in critical condition. The shots were reportedly fired around 3 am local time after which the police, medical teams and fire brigade arrived at the spot.
It is not clear if anyone was killed in the incident that happened at a racecourse where the event was held, but authorities have launched a “large-scale” response, the police said. Authorities have also urged the locals to stay from the area until the search is underway.
“According to preliminary findings, the nighttime shots in Aarau’s Schachen have claimed one fatality and five people injured, some of them seriously,” the local police said in a post on micro-blogging platform X (previously Twitter).
“The manhunt for the unknown perpetrator is underway. Possible motives as well as the exact circumstances of the crime are still unclear. The Aargau Cantonal Police is deployed with a large contingent and has initiated its investigations,” it said in another post.
The event, Aarau Rave Vol. 7, was organised by a Swiss company, Urban Agency Events AG. As per a report by local tabloid Blick, roughly 3,500 people attended the event between 3 pm on Saturday and 2 am on Sunday.
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership across Europe, reported CNN. Despite this, violent shootings have been very rare in the country. In 2019, Switzerland approved a proposal to tighten the gun laws.
The proposal states that gun owners would need to register any weapons not already registered within three years, and keep a registry of their gun collections. Besides, it requires regular training on the use of firearms, special waivers to own some semi-automatic weapons and serial number tracking system for key parts of some guns, reported Associated Press (AP).
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