Tragedy in Germany: 3 Indian nationals killed in suspected arson attack; suspect held
Three Indians died in a suspected arson fire in Bochum, Germany. Police arrested a resident.
Three Indian nationals in their twenties died after a fire swept through a residential building in Bochum, Germany, in the early hours of Tuesday. German authorities have arrested a 41-year-old resident of the building on suspicion of murder after ruling out a technical fault as the cause of the blaze. Police said they suspect arson may have been involved, but the exact cause of the fire and a possible motive have not yet been established.
Officers had earlier visited the property, including as recently as Sunday, but said those incidents have no known connection to the fatal fire.
The fire broke out at a block of flats on Poststrasse in Bochum's Hofstede district, in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Emergency crews were called at about 4.15 am local time after witnesses raised the alarm.
Firefighters later found three people unresponsive in a second-floor flat. Attempts to revive them were unsuccessful.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Bochum police and prosecutors identified the dead as two Indian women, aged 25 and 27, and an Indian man aged 26. Their names and home states were not disclosed. Authorities have not said whether they were students, workers or relatives.
Police had visited Bochum building before fatal fire
According to German public broadcaster WDR, police had visited the same building on Sunday, October 11, after a dispute. Officers had also been called to the property on earlier occasions.
Investigators told WDR that, based on the evidence available so far, these earlier incidents were not connected to Tuesday's fatal fire.
In separate interviews with WDR, neighbours alleged that there had been previous disturbances at or near the building, including fights and rubbish being set on fire. They also claimed that a security company had been deployed there for some time but was no longer present.
These claims have not been independently verified. Police have also not established any link between the alleged disturbances and the fatal fire.
How the Bochum fire trapped residents on upper floors
When emergency crews arrived, flames were already coming from the ground floor and had spread upwards through the building's wooden stairwell. That blocked the normal route to the upper floors, where residents were calling for help from windows.
Firefighters used an aerial turntable ladder to bring down two people and portable ladders to rescue another two. A fifth person escaped onto an inflatable rescue cushion.
All five were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. Their nationalities have not been made public.
Around 90 firefighters, ambulance workers and other emergency personnel were involved at the height of the operation. The three Indian nationals were found in the second-floor flat as crews searched the building. The fire service said attempts to resuscitate them failed.
Why German police arrested a Romanian resident over suspected arson
On Wednesday, police said fire experts had inspected the building and ruled out a technical defect. Detectives then detained a 41-year-old man who lived at the address.
German news channel n-tv, citing the DPA news agency, identified him as a Romanian national.
He was questioned by officers from the homicide squad and is under investigation on suspicion of murder. Police believe arson may have caused the blaze, but WDR reported that investigators have not yet established precisely how the fire started or whether it was set deliberately.
No motive has been announced, and police have not reported evidence showing that the Indian nationals were specifically targeted. Investigators have also not disclosed whether the suspect knew any of the victims.
Bochum fire leaves residential building uninhabitable The blaze left the building uninhabitable after the wooden stairwell was destroyed. WDR reported that residents of neighbouring properties were also temporarily unable to return because electricity and other utilities had been disconnected.
One person was accommodated with the help of social services, while others stayed with friends and relatives.
Bochum's mayor, Jorg Lukat, visited the scene and said the city had not experienced a tragedy on this scale in decades. Emergency counsellors assisted those affected, including members of the rescue teams. Local authorities said they would help displaced tenants find somewhere to stay.
The case is now being handled by a homicide investigation team under the supervision of Bochum prosecutors. Police have yet to release the victims' identities, explain any connection between the suspect and those who died, or establish a motive.