Highlights:
Three Indian nationals were killed and five other people injured in a fire at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, local media reported on Wednesday (14).
The victims were two women, aged 25 and 27, and a 26-year-old man, German public broadcaster WDR reported, citing information released by Bochum police. Their names and home states in India have not been disclosed.
Police arrested a 41-year-old resident of the building on suspicion of murder, German news channel n-tv reported, citing the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
Investigators suspect arson, although they have not established whether the fire was deliberately started or began accidentally.
Police investigate suspected arson
The fire broke out early Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in Bochum’s Hofstede district. Emergency services were alerted at around 4.15 am local time.
Firefighters found the three victims dead in an apartment on the second floor. The five injured people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals in Bochum.
Police and prosecutors announced the arrest on Wednesday. A Bochum police spokesperson told WDR that there were initial grounds for suspecting the man of murder. He was questioned by officers from the homicide squad.
The suspect is a Romanian national, according to n-tv’s report citing DPA.
Investigators have ruled out a technical defect as the cause of the fire. However, whether it was deliberately set or started accidentally remains under investigation.
The arrest does not establish the suspect’s guilt, and investigators have not publicly confirmed the circumstances that led to the fire.
Firefighters face difficult rescue operation
The firefighting operation was complicated by flames spreading upwards through the building’s stairwell, preventing emergency crews from using it to reach residents on the upper floors, WDR reported.
Firefighters rescued two people using a turntable ladder and another two with portable ladders. A fifth person was rescued using a safety cushion, according to the DPA report carried by n-tv.
The incident has left three Indian nationals dead, while five other people are receiving medical attention for smoke inhalation. Media reports have not specified the nationalities of the injured or provided further details about their conditions.
Authorities have not released the identities of the deceased or information about their families in India.
The investigation is continuing as police seek to establish how the fire started and the circumstances surrounding the three deaths.
