Woman killed, five injured in shooting at rave in Aarau, Switzerland
A 22-year-old woman was fatally shot and five others injured at a techno rave in Aarau, Switzerland. Police have launched a manhunt and cordoned off large parts of the town.
Shooting at Swiss rave kills young woman, five others wounded
A 22-year-old woman has been killed and five others injured — some seriously — after a gunman opened fire at a rave party in the Swiss town of Aarau, RTÉ News reports. All victims are Swiss residents in their 20s, local police confirmed.
The shooting occurred shortly after 2.30am, when music at the event had stopped. A witness told Reuters he initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks. Some attendees took cover behind a DJ booth; the woman who died had hidden behind a refrigerator but was struck by a fatal shot.
"It's just incredibly tragic. She was young," the witness told Reuters. "That something like this could happen in Aarau, at a local event, is simply unimaginable. I still can't really process it."
The event had been advertised on the organisers' website as a techno party held at a covered horse racetrack, with 3,500 people expected to attend.
Police launched a manhunt and cordoned off large areas of the town, which lies approximately 50 kilometres west of Zurich. Officers appealed to the public for any images or footage of the incident. Armed police are patrolling the area, convoys are moving through the streets, and armoured vehicles have been stationed near the crime scene.
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, though violent shootings are rare. The country introduced stricter gun control rules in 2019.
Source: RTÉ News