Our Bureau
Bochum
Three Indian nationals were killed and five others injured after a fire broke out at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, early Tuesday. Police have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian resident of the building on suspicion of murder as investigators probe whether the blaze was deliberately started.
The deceased were two women aged 25 and 27 and a 26-year-old man, German public broadcaster WDR reported, citing Bochum police. Their identities and home states in India have not been disclosed. The five injured people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals in Bochum. Their nationalities have not been confirmed.
Police and prosecutors announced the arrest on Wednesday after preliminary investigations raised suspicions of murder against the resident. The suspect was questioned by officers from the homicide squad, according to German media reports.
Investigators have ruled out a technical defect as the cause of the fire and suspect arson. However, authorities are still examining whether the blaze was deliberately set or started accidentally.
The fire broke out at around 4.15 am local time on Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in the Hofstede district of Bochum. Emergency services rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the blaze.
Firefighters found the three victims dead inside an apartment on the building’s second floor. Rescue efforts were complicated by flames spreading upwards through the stairwell, preventing emergency personnel from using it to reach residents on the upper floors.
As per German Press Agency, firefighters rescued two people using a turntable ladder, two others with portable ladders and another person with a safety cushion.