Woman Killed in Hostage Situation in German City of Dresden

German authorities stated a 62-year-old woman was killed amid a hostage situation in the eastern German city of Dresden on Saturday.

German newspaper Bild reported that an armed man killed a woman, then stormed a local radio station and fired shots before fleeing into a shopping mall where he took several hostages.

Meanwhile, police evacuated a shopping mall and the surrounding area in Dresden, affirming that the hostage situation is over, with two apparently unharmed individuals in their care.

Radio Dresden said an armed man had entered the Ammonhof office building, where the radio station is located, around 8.30 am local time (07.30 GMT) and that shots had been fired.

However, the police did not confirm these details yet but urged citizens to avoid the city center.

"Emergency services found a lifeless 62-year-old woman in an apartment building in Prohlis. An emergency doctor who was called could only determine her death," the website reads.

Police spokesman Thomas Geithner gave an official press statement on the operation, confirming the woman’s death is directly related to the incident in the Altmarktgalerie.

"According to Geithner, the man is behaving mentally. Appropriate experts were therefore consulted. The man should be persuaded to give up voluntarily and end the situation," the radio reported. "In this respect, the situation is under control, Geithner continued with no acute risk for visitors to Dresden."