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Asylum seeker dies in deadly fire

October 6, 2015

Firefighters have recovered the body of an African man who died in a fire at an asylum center in eastern Germany. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Gj7X
Toter Asylbewerber in Saalfeld
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

German authorities investigated a fatal fire that broke out at a three-storey dormitory for asylum seekers late Monday. The blaze claimed the life of a 29-year-old refugee from Eritrea.

The other occupants of the refugee center, located in Saalfeld, in the eastern state of Thuringia, escaped unharmed.

Several refugees have been injured, but none killed, in dozens of arson attacks on German asylum shelters in the past few months.

Recently, two suspected fires were set in Thuringia, one of them about 70 kilometers (43 miles) away from Saalfeld.

But public broadcaster MDR quoted police as saying the cause of the fire is still unknown. Investigators hope to have more information by late Tuesday.

Germany is expecting a record influx of more than 800,000 asylum seekers this year, far more than any other country in Europe. This has fuelled social tensions in some parts of the country, especially in areas of relatively high unemployment.

jar/cmk (AFP, dpa, Reuters)