Third explosion rocks German city of Cologne in 10 days

Berlin, Sep 25 (IANS) A cafe in an apartment building was mostly destroyed by an explosion Wednesday morning, which was the third such incident in the city within 10 days. According to DPA and "Tagesschau," two nearby residents sustained minor injuries, while around 20 others from the building were safely evacuated without harm.

A large number of police and fire departments rushed to the site, but the cafe had been severely damaged, a fire department spokesman said. It took about an hour to extinguish the blaze by 4 a.m. The extent of damage to other shops and apartments within the building is still unknown. Investigations are ongoing and authorities are actively seeking witnesses.

The Cologne police are probing whether this explosion is connected to a recent spate of blasts. Last week, two explosions rocked the city center -- one outside a fashion store on Ehrenstrasse, where witnesses spotted a man fleeing the scene, and another in front of a nightclub on Hohenzollernring. Additional incidents were reported over the weekend in Cologne and its surrounding areas.

Michael Esser, head of Cologne's criminal police, expressed concern last week, saying "We are facing major challenges due to unprecedented cases of violence and serious crime that have never occurred before in Cologne," Xinhua news agency reported.

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