Hostage-taking happens at train station in Cologne, Germany

BERLIN — Cologne police say they have closed parts of the western German city's main train station because of a hostage situation.

Police officer Christoph Schulte told The Associated Press that incident appears to have started Monday at 12:45 pm at a pharmacy inside the train station. He said parts of the station, one of the biggest in the country, were closed off as well as Breslauer Platz square behind the station.

There were no immediate details on who was taken hostage or how many people were involved.

German railroad operator Deutsche Bahn tweeted that some of the station's tracks were shut down temporarily.

Police on Twitter told people to avoid the train station.

AP