Police within the German metropolis of Munich say the opening of the venue the place Oktoberfest is happening has been delayed due to doable connections to an explosion and fireplace at a home within the metropolis, wherein one particular person has died.
Mayor Dieter Reiter mentioned the Theresienwiese would stay closed till at the least 17:00 (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday due to a bomb menace.
A big-scale emergency operation is presently beneath approach in Lerchenau within the north of Munich. Police mentioned it was triggered by a hearth in a single-family dwelling. Reviews mentioned residents additionally reported listening to an explosion.
Police mentioned doable hyperlinks to different areas have been being investigated, together with the pageant website at Theresienwiese.
“Because of this, the opening of the pageant grounds has been delayed,” mentioned police.
Oktoberfest runs from 20 September till 5 October and it has already attracted greater than 3.5 million guests. It’s described as each the world’s largest people and beer pageant.
Police investigating the fireplace in Lerchenau mentioned they believed a residential constructing was intentionally set alight as a part of a household dispute.
“The injured one that was discovered has since died. One other particular person is lacking, however is just not believed to pose any hazard,” they added.
“Booby traps have been additionally discovered within the affected constructing. Particular forces have been known as in to defuse them.”
Quite a few emergency personnel are on website.
