Man killed in car bomb blast in Berlin

A man was killed when a car bomb exploded in Berlin on Tuesday. Police have launched a murder investigation.

Berlin police said the explosion happened at about 8 a.m. local time in the western district of Charlottenburg.

A picture tweeted by police shows a badly-damaged silver or gray Volkswagen Passat station wagon.

Police said the dead man was 43 years old, and whether he was the driver was still to be clarified. The force said there was no evidence of terrorism.

Michael Merkle, a spokesman for Berlin police, said: "We can't say anything about the cause. We are at the beginning of our investigation," the BBC reported.

He added: "Forensic investigators are here, will carefully examine the car, everything will be examined. The homicide division is on site and will take over the further investigation."

A bomb disposal team was sent to the scene and determined there was no risk from the car, police said.