Three Indian nationals killed in fire at residential building in Germany, probe underway
At least three Indian nationals were killed in a fire at a residential building in the German city of Bochum, local media reported on Wednesday. The victims were two women aged 25 and 27, and a 26-year-old man, all Indian nationals, German public broadcaster WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) reported, citing details released by Bochum police. Their names and home states in India were not reported.
Five other people injured in fire incidentÂ
Five other people were also injured in the incident that was reported early on Tuesday. Their nationalities and other details were not specified in the media reports.Soon after the incident, police have arrested a 41-year-old resident of the building on suspicion of murder. He is a Romanian national, German news channel n-tv reported, citing the German Press Agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
In this regards, a Bochum police spokesperson told WDR that there were initial grounds for suspicion of murder against the man, who had been questioned by officers from the homicide squad. Police and prosecutors announced the arrest on Wednesday.
Amid these developments, investigators have ruled out a technical defect as the cause of the fire and suspect arson, but whether the fire was deliberately set or started accidentally remains under investigation.
Fire broke out in multi-family residential building
Notably, the fire broke out early on Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in Bochum’s Hofstede district. Emergency services were alerted 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.
The firefighting operation was difficult because the flames had spread upwards through the stairwell, preventing firefighters from using it to reach residents on the upper floors, WDR reported. Firefighters rescued two people using a turntable ladder, two using portable ladders and another person with a safety cushion, according to the DPA report.
Germany briefly shut airport, scrambles fighter jets to escort passenger planeÂ
In another development, Germany briefly shut an airport and scrambled fighter jets to escort a passenger plane after an emergency call raised fears of a possible hijacking but turned out to be over a radio problem, officials said.
The carrier, Corendon Airlines, said the Boeing 737-800 flying from Corfu, Greece, to Nuremberg, Germany, sent out an emergency code late in the morning over Croatia “due to a brief malfunction in the radio communication system”.
In a statement sent to Associated Press, the airline said “no emergency situation occurred” and the 178 passengers, flight crew or aircraft were not at any point in any danger. The plane landed safely. As a precaution before the reason for the incident was known, police cordoned off the Nuremberg airport, the German news agency dpa reported.
With inputs from AP
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