MAINZ, Germany — Police are investigating after an explosion rocked central Cologne in western Germany on Monday.
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 spokesman told NBC News.
Police said at least one person may have been slightly injured.
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.
Local authorities said Monday on X 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 NBC News that the area is under closed-circuit TV surveillance and that the video will be part of the investigation.
Andy Eckardt reported from Mainz and Chantal Da Silva from London.
