One person killed in Berlin car explosion: Police

The driver of a car was killed Tuesday when an explosion destroyed the vehicle while travelling down a street in downtown Berlin during the rush hour, German police say.

The explosion was reported at about 8:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) at Bismarckstrasse, within the sight of the Victory Column monument, in the German capital’s western neighborhood of Charlottenburg.

Photos from the scene showed the wreckage of a Berlin-registered silver Volkswagen Passat station wagon, with its windshields blown out and front end smashed in.

There were no other reports of injuries at the site, although the car rammed into a parked vehicle.

"The explosion occurred inside or on the vehicle," said Carsten Mueller, deputy chief spokesman for Berlin police.

Mueller added, "Our investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device that caused this."

He said bomb experts are on the scene investigating whether there are any further explosives, and investigators are trying to determine the identity of the victim.

German police said that they were not aware of a "terrorist background" to the explosion. "There is no evidence of there being a terrorist background," a spokesman for Berlin police said.

Police officers have told residents in the area to stay indoors and keep their windows shut before giving the all clear.

EA