In Pics: Car bomb blast rattles busy street in Berlin

An explosion that destroyed a car and killed the driver in downtown Berlin during rush hour traffic Tuesday was likely caused by a bomb, police said Tuesday, but investigators are working on the assumption that it was not a terror-related attack.

An explosion that destroyed a car and killed the driver in downtown Berlin during rush hour traffic Tuesday was likely caused by a bomb, police said Tuesday, but investigators are working on the assumption that it was not a terror-related attack.

An exploded car sits on a street in Berlin, eastern Germany. (AP)

Here are some pictures from the scene.

Photos from the scene showed the wreckage of a Berlin-registered silver VW Passat station wagon, its windows blown out and its front end smashed in, about a kilometer (half mile) from the capital’s landmark Victory Column. (AFP)

The explosion occurred at about 8 am (07 00 GMT) in the western district of Charlottenburg on a busy street leading into the heart of the German capital. (AFP)

“(The) explosion occurred inside or on the vehicle,” said Carsten Mueller, deputy chief spokesman for Berlin police. “Our investigators are working on the assumption that it was an explosive device that caused this,” Mueller told The Associated Press. (REUTERS)

Nobody else was injured in the blast despite heavy traffic, the police said. (AP)

Hours after the blast police were concentrating on the possibility that the explosion might be linked to organized crime, said Kerstin Ziesmer, a police spokeswoman. (REUTERS)

According to police the investigators had identified the man who was killed but declined to name him, citing the ongoing investigation. (Reuters)

The city has seen a spate of violence linked to biker gangs involved in the drugs trade in recent years. (REUTERS)

A picture posted by Berlin police on Twitter showed the wreckage of a silver VW Passat station wagon on the street, its windows blown out. (AP)

A bomb disposal expert approaches items in Bismarckstrasse in this picture made available on the Berlin Police Twitter feed. (REUTERS)