BERLIN (AP) – A fire at a refugee shelter in eastern Germany killed one person and injured 10 others early Sunday, according to local police.
Police in the German state of Thuringia said the fire broke out around 5 a.m. at a facility in the city of Apolda and that one body was recovered from the burned building.
A 9-year-old child was reported missing, police said. They did not say if recovered body belonged to a child.
04 June 2023, Thuringia, Apolda: Refugees are cared for after the fire in a refugee shelter. Photo: Michael Reichel/dpa (Photo by Michael Reichel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Writing on Twitter, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the incident “terrible news.” She confirmed an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire.
The shelter, which housed 300 people, was evacuated and residents were taken to another refugee center in nearby Hermsdorf, a local government spokesperson told German news agency dpa.
Police said 250 people were in the shelter at the time of the fire, and 10 were taken to a local hospital with injuries, police said. Information about their condition was not immediately available.