Around 12 rescue personnel injured in explosion near Dusseldorf

Around two police officers and 10 firefighters were hurt in an explosion at a high-rise building in Ratingen, some of them very seriously, state interior minister Herbert Reul told the Dusseldorf state parliament on Thursday.

It was unclear what caused the incident.

At the scene, a police spokeswoman said eight members of the emergency services had suffered life-threatening injuries and two more were injured.

Several loud blasts were heard during the operation at the high-rise building, according to a dpa reporter. The police did not provide information about this.

The reporter at the scene said smoke was coming from an apartment on the top floor of the high-rise building.

Special police forces could be seen on the balcony of the neighboring apartment, the reporter said.

The incident came after the police were notified by a residential group that a resident's mailbox was overflowing, Reul said.

The police called on firefighters to open the door, he said. A mother and her son were living in the apartment, he said. There was a fire in the room.

The son had detonated something with an as yet unidentified object.

It was unclear whether the man was still in the apartment.

The woman was also briefly seen on the balcony.

Police continue to investigate the incident.