A large-scale search was underway Saturday in the western German city of Solingen after three people were killed and at least eight others wounded, five of them seriously, in a knife attack at a festival.

“The police are currently conducting a large-scale search for the perpetrator,” police said in a statement. They have assembled a large number of forces around Solingen city center, including special units. “Both victims and witnesses are currently being questioned,” they said.

Police have also established an online portal where witnesses can upload information relevant to the attack.

People alerted police shortly after 9:30 pm Friday to an unknown attacker having wounded several people with a knife on a central square, the Fronhof. Police said that the perpetrator was on the run, and that they so far had only very thin information on the assailant.

They said they believe the stabbings were carried out by a lone attacker and gave no information about the identities of the victims.

The “Festival of Diversity,” marking the city’s 650th anniversary, began Friday and was supposed to run through Sunday, with several stages in central streets offering attractions such as live music, cabaret and acrobatics.

One of the festival organizers, Philipp Muller, appeared on stage on Friday and asked festivalgoers to “go calmly; please keep your eyes open, because unfortunately the perpetrator hasn’t been caught.”Solingen has about 1,60,000 residents and is located near the bigger cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that the perpetrator of the attack must be caught quickly and punished with the full force of the law.

“The attack in Solingen is a terrible event that has shocked me greatly. An attacker has brutally killed several people. I have just spoken to Solingen’s mayor, Tim Kurzbach. We mourn the victims and stand by their families,” Scholz said on X.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also spoke to the mayor of Solingen on Saturday morning.

“The heinous act in Solingen shocks me and our country. We mourn those killed and worry about those injured and I wish them strength and a speedy recovery from all my heart,” Steinmeier said in a statement on Saturday. “The perpetrator needs to be brought to justice. Let’s stand together — against hatred and violence.”

There has been concern about increased knife violence in Germany, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently proposed toughening weapons laws to allow only knives with a blade measuring up to 6 centimeters to be carried in public, rather than the length of 12 centimeters that is currently allowed.