Ratingen: Body found and man detained after explosion in Germany injures 12

Several people were injured in an explosion at a residential building in the western Germantown of Ratingen. Credit: AP

German police have detained a suspect in connection with an explosion at a residential building that authorities say injured at least a dozen people, some of them seriously.

The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, said 10 firefighters and two police officers were injured in the blast at a high-rise building in the town of Ratingen.

A body was also recovered from the building, he said.

The identity of the person and the circumstances of their death weren’t immediately known.

Firefighters and police were called to the building in the morning after concerns were raised about two residents.

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An injured police officer is taken to an ambulance in front of a high-rise building in Ratingen, Germany. Credit: AP

Following the explosion, heavily armed officers took up positions around the site, with television footage showing police snipers positioned on a balcony across the road from the building as smoke poured out of a top-floor apartment.

Hours later a man, believed to be in his 60s, was brought out of the building, police spokesperson Diane Dulischewski told German news channel n-tv.

She couldn’t immediately provide further information on the man.

Police officers and firefighters stand in front of a residential building in Ratingen, Germany. Credit: AP

Mettman district police wrote in a statement on Twitter: “There is an ongoing major incident in Ratingen-West. There has been an explosion, the cause of which is not yet clear.

"Several people are injured including police officers. More information to follow as soon as we have confirmed details.”

Ratingen is located on the northeastern outskirts of Dusseldorf, the state capital.

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In a separate incident, a man opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz factory in southwestern Germany, leaving two people dead, authorities and the company said.

The shooting occurred in Sindelfingen, a city near Stuttgart. The suspect, a 53-year-old man, was taken into custody, a spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutor's office said.Police said the victims were both 44 years old but provided no further details about the dead men or the gunman’s motive.

Police emergency vehicles are parked at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, Germany. Credit: AP

All three worked for Rhenus, a logistics company, dpa reported.

Police tweeted that there was no further danger to employees at the plant.

In a statement, Mercedes-Benz said that two people were killed at its Sindelfingen plant and the company was “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic news."

“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all colleagues on site,” the statement said.

The sprawling Sindelfingen factory employs around 35,000 workers producing E-Class and S-Class luxury sedans and CLS and GLC coupes, according to Mercedes-Benz's website. It also houses planning, purchasing and development and design departments.