Shrapnel bomb injures nine

No-one has admitted planting the bomb

German police say the explosion which injured nine people in a Duesseldorf commuter train station was caused by a shrapnel bomb.

Two of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.

One of them is a pregnant woman in her twenties who lost her baby and had to have a leg amputated. The other, a man, has severe abdominal wounds.

Most of the other victims - five women and two men - suffered head and stomach injuries caused by metal splinters from the bomb.

No warning

The bomb exploded on a footbridge leading to Wehrhahn station, which is part of the city's urban S-Bahn rail system.

Police said they did not believe the attack was politically motivated, but were not ruling anything out.

Police spokesman Andre Hartwich said: "There was no warning beforehand and so far we haven't found any note claiming responsibility."

Fire fighters and police investigators at the scene

Erkan Postal, who owns an off-licence opposite the train station said: "I had just served a customer when I heard an extraordinarily loud explosion that shook the bottles on the shelves."

He said he then ran outside and heard a woman scream and saw a huge cloud of white smoke rose from the station.

"My whole body shook," said Schendran Swaminathan, who runs a nearby pub.

Rescue teams including several emergency doctors, seven ambulances and two helicopters rushed to the scene.

Officials said several of the victims were non-Germans who had just come out of a nearby German language class.

'Deeply shaken'

North Rhine-Westphalia deputy premier Michael Vesper who visited the scene said he was "deeply shaken by this brutal attack".

He said: "Whoever perpetrated it, wanted consciously to wound and kill people."

He said the regional government strongly condemned "this repulsive act" and expressed its sympathy for the victims.

Duesseldorf hospitals have appealed for blood donations to help the injured.

Trains between Duesseldorf and neighbouring Duisburg were interrupted for an hour and a half, and train officials said delays were expected throughout the evening. The building suffered only minor damage.