A manhunt is under way after a 22-year-old woman was killed and five others injured in a shooting at a techno rave in Aarau, Switzerland; the woman died at the scene, according to police. Those injured were four men and a woman aged between 24 and 27, all of whom are in hospital with injuries “ranging from minor to severe.”

Incident at Horse Racing Track Rave

The shooting occurred at a techno rave held at a horse racing track in the town of Aarau, which is located 46km (29 miles) west of Zurich. Police said the perpetrator’s identity and possible motives were unknown, as were the “exact circumstances” of the incident — Local media reported that the force was alerted to the shooting around 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.”

Event Organizers and Public Response

Olivier Grein, whose firm Agency Events AG organized the event, said the company was “shaken” and would do all it could to support police; Organizers had expected up to 3,500 people to attend. Police asked witnesses to submit photographs and video from the scene.

An area around the racing track, the town’s swimming pool and sports field has been cordoned off, with the public urged to stay away; a large contingent of officers has also been deployed beyond Aarau “as a precaution”, Aargau Cantonal Police said. An AFP journalist reported seeing armed officers deployed on the highway up to 30km (18 miles) from the site of the shooting.

International Police Cooperation and Security Measures

Aarau is located 46km west of Zurich and is home to approximately 23,000 people, it is also less than 40km (25 miles) from the border with Germany. German media reported that police on the German side have been providing support to Swiss forces as the manhunt continues.

Images from Aarau early on Sunday showed a heavy police presence in the area, with an armoured vehicle seen blocking a road, though Armed police and officers in riot gear could be seen patrolling the streets. In addition to police and fire officials, the regional disaster response unit (KKE) was deployed, according to broadcaster SRF.

It also reported that a Swiss Army helicopter could be seen surveying the area in the early hours, Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe, although violent shootings are rare and tighter controls were introduced in recent years.