One person killed, five wounded in shooting at rave in Switzerland

At least one person has been killed and five others injured in a shooting at an overnight rave party in northern Switzerland, local police said.

“The search for the perpetrators, whose identities are currently unknown, is under way,” police said on social media on Sunday, adding that the motives and exact circumstances regarding the incident in Aarau, north of Zurich, were not yet known.

Swiss newspaper Blick reported that the shots were fired before 3am (01:00 GMT) on the sidelines of the Aarauer Rave.

Some 3,500 people attended the annual techno party between 3pm on Saturday and 2am on Sunday.

Police said a search operation was under way, appealing to the public for any film or pictures of the incident.

Blick published video footage, taken from an elevated position, which it said had come from a reader showing a night-time street scene with the sound of several shots being fired.

Large areas of Aarau have been cordoned off, police said, adding that they have increased their presence beyond the town as a precautionary measure.

Police spokeswoman Vanessa Rumpold told Blick that the shooting happened at the racecourse where the event was held.

“Several shots were fired within a large group of people,” she said.

One witness reported “bursts of gunfire”, according to the daily.

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, although violent shootings are rare. It approved tighter gun control rules in 2019.