Several injured as man opens fire in Dutch city of Utrecht

Police forces stand at the 24 Oktoberplace in Utrecht, on March 18, 2019 where a shooting took place. (Photo by Robin van Lonkhuijsen / ANP / AFP)


A shooting incident in a tram in the Dutch town of Utrecht has left several people injured.

According to reports, a man, who is yet to be identified, opened fire in the tram near a square in the main city in the morning. Utrecht is 37 kilometres to the south of Amsterdam.

The police said that it is not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist attack on the tram.

The shooting took place at about 10:45 local time (03:15 IST).

In a tweet, Utrecht police said that the incident happened in 24 Oktoberplein (24 October Square) area of the city, which has been cordoned off.

“A shooting occurred on the #24oktoberplein in #Utrecht. The incident has been reported at 10.45 hour. Multiple people have been injured. The surrounding area has been cordoned off and we are investigating the matter,” the tweet read.

 

“The police is investigating the shooting at the #24oktoberplein in Utrecht this morning. An possible terrorist motif is part of the investigation,” Utrecht police wrote in another tweet.

 

Police also said that three helicopters have been deployed at the site to assist in search and rescue missions.

The authorities have asked people to keep roads clear for emergency workers to get through.

“A man started shooting wildly,” an eyewitness told Dutch news site NU.nl.

Police have not yet taken any suspect into custody.