German police have sealed off downtown Cologne amid reports of an explosion; officials have asked motorists to avoid the area in a post on X (formerly Twitter). So far, authorities have not revealed any details as to the nature of the blast or whether it has caused any casualties.
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper originally speculated that the incident may have taken place at Vanity Club.
A reporter at the scene told his colleagues that the blast had apparently taken place outside a shopping mall and the aforementioned nightclub.
T-online media outlet quoted a police spokeswoman as relaying that the explosion had happened at around 6am outside an unidentified building.
Radio Köln, in turn, claimed that one person had sustained mild injuries as a result of the incident and has been taken to hospital. The explosion also reportedly led to a fire, which had been extinguished by the time firefighters arrived.
In its message on X, police have said they will post more details later on as the investigation at the site is underway.