Explosion at Augsburg main railway station: Two Ukrainians slightly injured
Nocturnal explosion in Augsburg injures two young Ukrainians. Hours-long closures brought rail and local public transport in the city centre to a standstill.
Large-scale operation in Augsburg following explosion near main railway station
As Google News CH — Crime (de) reports, a nocturnal explosion in a building passage near Augsburg's main railway station overnight into Tuesday injured two young people. The detonation occurred around 3.15 am opposite the railway station; a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy sustained blast injuries. According to police information, both are Ukrainian nationals who happened to be at the scene.
Additionally, window panes in the surrounding area were damaged. The affected building complex is a larger block containing several medical surgeries and retail shops. Police did not confirm whether the attack was deliberately directed at one of the businesses. "These are currently speculations," said a police spokesperson.
Several media outlets reported that the exploded object was a hand grenade. Police initially did not confirm this. "All of that is the subject of the investigation," the spokesperson said.
Bomb experts from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office as well as explosive detection dogs were deployed for hours and supported the Augsburg criminal police on site.
Approximately five hours after the explosion, a suspicious object in the neighbouring railway station building triggered a bomb alert. Police subsequently cordoned off the entire railway station area; train services were completely halted. All regional and ICE connections were affected by the closure for more than an hour. Augsburg lies on the busy route between Munich and Stuttgart — the closure affected numerous commuters and travellers during the morning rush hour.
The all-clear was given when the suspicious object proved to be harmless. Trains were able to resume operations, although Deutsche Bahn warned of possible subsequent delays and short-notice train cancellations.
Local public transport was also significantly affected. According to the Augsburg transport association, scheduled buses and trams were unable to serve stops near the railway station for a time; replacement buses were deployed and regular services diverted to other termini.
Whilst the main railway station was reopened in the morning, the area around the nocturnal explosion remained cordoned off. "The road closures are being maintained due to crime scene work," said the police spokesperson. The circumstances of the explosion remain unexplained.
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)