Switzerland rave shooting kills woman, 22 as manhunt launched

A manhunt is under way after a 22-year-old woman was killed and five others injured in a shooting at a rave in Switzerland.

The woman died at the scene in Aarau, police said. Four men and a woman, aged between 24 and 27, are in hospital with injuries “ranging from minor to severe”.

Sources have confirmed to BBC News that the victim was an Italian national. The Italian Embassy in Bern and the Consulate in Zurich are monitoring the situation, they add.

At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, police spokesperson Bernhard Graser reiterated the force has “no information about the perpetrator(s) or their motive”. They are not believed to be in Aarau anymore, he added.

Organisers and performers said the shooting happened at a techno rave being held at a horse racing track in the town, which is located some 46km (29 miles) west of Zurich.

The force said it had received an initial report of shots fired at the Schachen race track at 02:30 local time (01:30 BST).

A DJ who was due to perform until the scheduled end of the event at 02:00 said the incident occurred “straight after our set”, in a post on social media.

Another performer, DJ Tekibo, said he had lost a friend in the incident. He wrote on Instagram that he was “still trying to process what happened”.

Olivier Grein, whose firm Agency Events AG organised the event, said the company was “shaken” and would do all it could to support police.

An eyewitness told Blick that he “suddenly heard the gunshots” minutes after the music stopped at 02:30, initially believing they were fireworks.

He said he was told to hide by a man and a woman, the latter of whom was then shot.

Organisers had expected up to 3,500 people to attend. Police asked witnesses to submit photographs and video from the scene.