/ 11 April 2017

Borussia Dortmund football team bus hit by explosion

Early reports state Marc Bartra was injured and  taken to hospital.
Early reports state Marc Bartra was injured and taken to hospital.

A bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund football team to a Champions League match was hit by an explosion, the club says.

AFP reported that the bus’s windows were shattered and a player, Marc Bartra, was injured and taken to hospital. German media reports say the 26-year-old was taken to a local hospital with superficial cuts to his arm.

According to Bild, three explosive devices were deposited on the street in front of the bus though North-Rhine Westphalia police would not comment further saying they were at the scene.

A tweet from the German club’s official Twitter account an hour before was the first alert of an incident. “At our bus departure, an incident has occurred. One person was injured. More information to follow,” it read.

In another tweet posted in German, the club confirmed other players were safe and there was no danger in or around the stadium.

A later tweet read: “A bomb exploded at the team bus next to the hotel. The players are safe. There is no danger at the stadium” before the club confirmed the match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, kicking off at 6.45pm local time.

This is a developing story.