A huge manhunt has been launched after a dad murdered his two-year-old daughter by slashing her throat.
Media reports said police “broke down” at the sight of the dead girl after she was found at a small apartment block in a Hamburg suburb last night at around 9pm.
The mother of the child was discovered in shock and is receiving treatment at a city hospital.
A second child is believed to be safe and being looked after by authorities.
Dogs and murder detectives are now patrolling the area in search of the toddler’s father, who fled the scene and is still on the run.
According to reports, one line of inquiry is the man left the area on train from Hamburg’s main station.
Pictures emerging from the scene show a body bag being wheeled out of a family home while forensic teams search the premises.
According to information from the German press agency, the two-year-old is said to have suffered fatal cuts to her neck.
Officials in protective suits can be seen using 3D scanners inside the house while uniformed officers gather outside.
Police using tracker dogs have dispersed across the neighbourhood of Neugraben-Fischbek in the hunt for the girl’s killer.
Overnight, heavily-armed police and murder detectives went going door-to-door seeking information about the fugitive.
Almost 12 hours after the horrific murder, a murder squad is still trying to locate the culprit.
Police have so far given no clues as to what triggered the violence.
According to the police, the family comes from Pakistan.