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Aargau Cantonal Police confirmed that one person died and five others suffered injuries some of them serious after shots were fired shortly after 2:30 a.m. during the final hours of a rave party at the Schachen horse racing track in Aarau. The force said in a statement that the manhunt for the unknown perpetrator is under way while possible motives and the exact circumstances remain unclear. According to Swiss broadcaster SRF the incident occurred at the Aarauer Rave VOL. 7 an annual techno event that drew an estimated 3,500 attendees and ran from Saturday afternoon until early Sunday.
Police spokesperson Pascal Wenzel told Keystone-ATS that responders including ambulances fire crews and a military Super Puma helicopter were deployed rapidly to the scene west of Zurich. The Aargau Cantonal Police urged the public to stay away from the cordoned area that includes the racing track the town swimming pool now closed for the day and adjacent sports fields. In updates shared on social media the authority said a large contingent of officers had been positioned beyond Aarau itself as a precaution during the continuing operation.
Local newspaper Blick reported that video footage from near the site captured around ten shots at approximately 2:35 a.m. with some witnesses initially believing the sounds were fireworks. One attendee described in accounts to the paper rushing to help a wounded woman only to see her bleed out despite resuscitation attempts by bystanders who had taken cover. The police have asked anyone with images or recordings of the event to submit them through official channels to aid the investigation.
The Aarauer Rave took place at Switzerland’s largest horse racing venue situated in a recreational zone along the Aare river about 46 kilometres from Zurich. Its seventh edition had been staged alongside other festivities in the old town and was due to conclude in the early morning hours. Organizers have not yet issued statements on the disruption according to multiple Swiss outlets covering the aftermath.
In a statement carried by outlets including Le Temps and Tagesschau the Aargau Cantonal Police reiterated that preliminary findings pointed to one fatality and five partly severe injuries without confirming the number of attackers involved. The force described the situation as a special operation and has not released any suspect description or weapon details so far. Medical personnel transported the wounded to area hospitals while psychological support teams assisted those at the scene.
Coverage by German-language services such as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and international wires including Reuters has highlighted the scale of the emergency response that began in the pre-dawn period. The Aargau Cantonal Police continue to coordinate with federal authorities as the search proceeds several hours after the initial alert. No arrests had been publicly announced by mid-morning on August 30.
