A 22-year-old woman was killed and five others injured after gunfire erupted at a rave in northern Switzerland early Sunday, prompting police to launch a manhunt for the suspected shooter.
The incident occurred overnight at the Schachen horse racing track in Aarau, where a rave was reportedly taking place.
According to Aargau Cantonal Police, the woman died at the scene, while four men and another woman, aged between 24 and 27, were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious. Police said all six victims are residents of Switzerland.
Authorities have yet to establish the motive for the shooting or determine exactly how the incident unfolded.
A large area surrounding the venue has been sealed off as investigators work at the scene. Police have also urged members of the public to avoid the area.
Swiss DJ Tekibo, who performed at the event, described the incident as “heartbreaking” in a statement shared on Instagram.
“Techno and raves should be places of freedom and safety, never places where something like this happens,” he wrote.
The DJ also said he “lost an important friend,” though he did not provide further details.
An eyewitness told Swiss news outlet Blick that he initially mistook the sound of the gunfire for fireworks.
“At 2:30 a.m. the music suddenly stopped, and after a minute or two I suddenly heard the gunshots…I thought it was fireworks and didn’t think anything of it,” he was quoted as saying.
The witness said he later saw a woman who had been shot while crossing an open yard.
He said people attempted to save her, but she eventually died from her injuries.
Although Switzerland has a high rate of gun ownership compared with many other European countries, shootings remain relatively uncommon. Voters approved tighter gun-control measures in a 2019 national referendum.
The country’s deadliest mass shooting took place in 2001, when a gunman killed 14 politicians in the incident that became known as the Zug massacre.
