A group of gunmen opened fire on two bars in Hanau town earlier this morning, killing eight people and being chased by police.

The shooting happened when a group of gunmen fired several bullets into two bars in the town of Hanau, western Germany, at 22h on 19/2 (4am 20/2 Hanoi time), then fled on a car.

Local media reported that three people were killed in the first bar and the victims were in the second bar.

Special police are blocking two streets, while helicopter hangs over Hanau. The motives behind the shootings have not been clarified, and town officials have set up a hotline to collect information about the suspects.

Hanau is a large town with a population of nearly 100,000, located in the state of Hesse, western Germany and about 25 km east of Frankfurt.

Germany has recently suffered from extreme attacks, including the Christmas market attack in central Berlin in December 2016 that killed 12 people.

Location of Hanau city. Graphics: BBC.

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