Two police officers have been shot dead while on patrol in western Germany.
The shooting happened during a traffic stop near Kusel at about 04:20 hours on Monday, police in Kaiserslautern said in a statement.
It is understood that the officers – a 24-year-old woman and 29-year-old man – were able to put out a call for help, but by the time their colleagues arrived on the scene, little could be done to save them.
The suspects fled the scene of the shooting, with officers having no information concerning their descriptions or in which direction they escaped.
It is unknown if the officers were wearing body-worn cameras or if their patrol vehicle was fitted with CCTV.
Police called on drivers in the Kusel area not to pick up hitchhikers and warned that at least one suspect was armed.
The whole area has been sealed off as a manhunt for the shooters continues.
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