A 65-year-old woman barricaded herself inside a hospital in Aachen in western Germany on Monday, sparking a major police operation.<\/p>\n
The woman entered the facility in the afternoon, the police said.<\/p>\n
Smoke was noticed coming from the building a short time later.<\/p>\n
The Bild newspaper reported that the woman had set off pyrotechnics inside the hospital. The police, the fire department, and hospital representatives all declined to comment on the report.<\/p>\n
Police dispatched special forces to the site. Apartments in the surrounding area were evacuated.<\/p>\n
Whether the woman is armed and whether she has other people under her control was still unclear on Monday night.<\/p>\n
There was a “large contingent” of police officers on site and many police and rescue vehicles outside.<\/p>\n
“We have no information about anyone injured,” a police spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n
There was initially no answer to the question of whether the 65-year-old was alone in a room or possibly threatening other people.<\/p>\n
Speculations about a possible hostage-taking were also not confirmed.<\/p>\n
The police also did not say whether they were in contact with the woman.<\/p>\n