A group of ten robbers made off with several hundred thousand Swiss francs (euros, dollars) in a heist at the Grand Casino in Basel, Switzerland. Basel lies on the Swiss border with France and Germany.

After breaking through the casino doors with sledgehammers, the French-speaking robbers ran inside armed with machine guns and pistols.

The suspects fired several shots into the air and ordered the casino's 600 guests and workers to the floor. The prosecutor's office in Basel said in a statement that no one was injured in the gunfire.

"However, several guests and a member of the security staff were slightly hurt after being hit and kicked by the offenders," it added

The group split up to empty cash registers on the first and second floors, but were unsuccessful in an attempt to open a safe. They made their getaway in cars waiting outside, speeding past the Basel airport and over the border into France.

French and Swiss authorities are working together to track down the suspects.

mz/AFP/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar