German police have detained four teenagers who sent hundreds of people fleeing in panic by throwing firecrackers at the Thier-Galerie shopping mall in Dortmund, local media report. Seven people were injured in the stampede.

The shopping mall, located in the center of the city and close to the famous Dortmund Christmas market, was fully packed on Saturday night, when a group of youths allegedly threw several firecrackers into the crowd.

Info zum Geschehen in der #Thiergalerie in #Dortmund: Nach bisherigen Erkenntnissen wurden durch die Feuerwerkskörper sieben Personen leicht verletzt.Polizeibeamte konnten fünf Männer in Gewahrsam nehmen. Nun wird geprüft, ob diese die Feuerwerkskörper gezündet haben. pic.twitter.com/cY3wWFTuds — EHA News - Deutsch (@eha_deutsch) December 15, 2018

Laute Explosion in/an der Dortmunder Thier Galerie. Tausende Menschen sind aus der Galerie rausgerannt und Polizei und Krankenwagen riegeln alles um die Galerie ab. #staysafe#dortmund#explosion#thiergaleriepic.twitter.com/nLEGxPAazj — Alex (@_ALECS23) December 15, 2018

Hundreds of people fled in panic and fear of a potential terrorist attack, according to German media and witnesses’ accounts on social media. Rescuers and first responders rushed to the scene to get the situation under control.

Update / Korrektur: Im Zusammenhang mit dem Geschehen in der #Thiergalerie in #Dortmund haben wir vier männliche Personen in Gewahrsam genommen. Zwei sind 14 und die anderen beiden 15 Jahre alt. Die Ermittlungen dauern an. #Polizei#Dortmund — Polizei NRW DO (@polizei_nrw_do) December 15, 2018

Dortmund police have confirmed that, so far, seven people were wounded in the incident, but did not rule out that more people might contact authorities later. The severity of their injuries and how exactly they got them wasn’t immediately clear. Authorities confirmed that four teenagers, aged between 15 and 16, were arrested in relation to the incident, and provided no further details of their ongoing investigation.

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