Explosion in Eschweiler – police arrest 21-year-olds

After the explosion in a house in Eschweiler that injured 15, a 21-year-old suspect was arrested. The public prosecutor's office in Aachen announced this on Saturday. An arrest warrant was issued against the accused, among other things, because of the strong suspicion of attempted murder. Investigations are ongoing into the background and possible motives. According to the public prosecutor's office, the accused is German.

According to the investigators, a large number of buildings were significantly damaged by the pressure wave from the explosion on Thursday evening. 15 people were injured. Four of them had to be hospitalized. Two suffered life-threatening injuries. With reference to the privacy of those affected, the public prosecutor's office did not provide any further information.

The mayor of the city, Nadine Leonhardt, said on radio station WDR 5: "The city is really in shock". A very popular shopping street is affected. After the flood disaster almost two years ago, the next crisis is now upon us. Some stores have just reopened.

"The desperation and the shock are written all over the people's faces," reported Leonhardt. The city has set up two 24-hour hotlines. One is for those who witnessed the blast and dealt with the injured. The second hotline provides information for business people who need craftsmen.

The detonation shattered shop windows and damaged facades in an entire street. Shops across the street were also vandalized. The street was littered with broken glass, mannequins and debris. The mayor of the city of 56,000 said that cleaning up had made a good deal of progress on Friday evening. The street should be revived as soon as possible.

The explosion also created a fire that kept a large contingent of firefighters from the region busy for hours. The police and fire brigade received support from the Eschweiler Technical Relief Agency. The fire was extinguished by 2 a.m. However, embers were discovered later. Around 200 forces were deployed. Two firefighters were slightly injured during the rescue work.

The explosion was reported around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday evening. Adjacent houses were also badly damaged by their force.

The authorities initially assumed it was an accident. There is no evidence of a crime so far, it said after the explosion. The scene of the accident was cordoned off over a wide area. Fire experts had entered the affected house just as little as a structural engineer, it said at night. The "Aachener Zeitung" had previously reported on the explosion.

Eschweiler is located between Aachen, Cologne and the North Eifel. The city has almost 56,000 inhabitants. The last major disaster there was not long ago: in July 2021, the flood disaster hit the city. The Eschweiler hospital alone, which had to be evacuated in a dramatic rescue operation, suffered damage of 120 million euros. With 1,400 employees, the hospital is the city's largest employer.

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