Major Explosion Rocks Germany's Cologne, Police Operations Underway

Cologne: A massive explosion rocked central Cologne in western Germany on Monday and police are currently investigating the case. The police said that at least one person might have been slightly injured in the incident.

The NRW-Koln Police, in an X post in German, only announced that it had launched a "major police operation in area #Hohenzollernring" and that the area was closed "between Rudolfplatz and Friesenplatz" and citizens should avoid the area.

Several glass windows apparently burst in the explosion “and could have likely harmed more people, if the explosion had occurred at a later time,” the spokesman said.

The explosion took place in the entrance way of the Vanity nightclub in the Hohenzollernring area, known as a main entertainment district of Cologne, at around 5.50 a.m. local time, a police spokesperson said. Later, it posted that the traffic closures on Hohenzollernring had been lifted, and further information on the police operation would follow shortly.

Local authorities said in a post on X on Monday that a "major" police operation was underway as they urged residents to avoid the Hohenzollernring area.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Police told that the area is under CCTV surveillance and that the footage will be part of the ongoing investigation.