Violent explosion in downtown Nashville

Injured after violent explosion in downtown Nashville

At least three people were slightly injured in the deliberate explosion of a trailer in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. They were taken to hospitals, a spokesman for rescuers said Friday. Investigators assume a deliberate act, as police spokesman Don Aaron said. FBI officials from the US Federal Police opened an investigation. Police searched the area with bomb-sniffing dogs to rule out possible new explosions.

According to the authorities, the detonation caused “significant” material damage. Images from local television station WKRN showed damaged houses and debris on the street. The images also showed broken windows in buildings farther from the blast. The police largely cordoned off the city center. Current US President Donald Trump was informed of the blast, said a White House spokesman, Judd Deere.

Mayor John Cooper said police and federal forces are now investigating the background to the blast. “It appears that a bomb has exploded,” Cooper said in a statement broadcast on WKRN. The local disaster control spoke of an “intentional bomb incident”.

Police spokesman Aaron said officers arrived at the scene early in the morning after reports of alleged shooting. Aaron said they had alerted the police bombing unit to the suspicious trailer and asked residents to leave the area. Nashville Police Chief John Drake later said the trailer had a loudspeaker announcement warning of an impending bomb detonation and urging residents to safety. It is not yet clear if there was a person in the caravan.

One police officer suffered hearing damage from the blast and another was forcibly knocked down but was not injured, spokesman Aaron said.

Dozens of users on social media had taken photos and videos of black smoke over the city center after the blast around 6:30 a.m. on Friday morning (local time). Initially, several sources of fire could be seen. WKRN reporters said they felt the shock of the blast in their downtown studio.

With nearly 700,000 residents, Nashville is the capital of the state of Tennessee in the southern United States. Due to its many live music bars and record labels, it is considered the center of country music and is also called the “City of Music”. (sda / dpa)