3 Indians killed in Germany’s Bochum fire:5 hospitalised; 41-year-old Romanian arrested on suspicion of murder

Three Indian nationals died in a fire at a residential building in Germany’s Bochum city. The deceased include two women aged 25 and 27 and a 26-year-old man. Police have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian national on suspicion of murder. The incident took place early on Tuesday. After the fire broke out, firefighters found the bodies of all three victims in a flat on the second floor. Five other people were affected by smoke and taken to hospital. The identities of the deceased and their home states in India have not yet been disclosed. Fire spread through staircase, trapping residents upstairs According to German newspaper Bild, neighbours said some children’s prams parked in the building’s corridor had caught fire. The flames then spread to the wooden staircase, blocking the escape route. However, the suspected cause of the fire has not been officially confirmed. Firefighters rescued two people using a hydraulic ladder and two others with portable ladders. Another person jumped onto an air cushion placed for safety. According to a fire department spokesperson, the fire and smoke made it impossible to reach the upper floors via the staircase. During firefighting operations, three bodies were recovered from the second-floor flat. Attempts were made to save them, but they could not be revived. Police had visited the building a day before the fire Bochum police spokesperson Jens Artswager told Bild that police had visited the building a day before the fire following reports of a dispute. He said a police vehicle had been sent to the spot, but no one had filed a complaint. Police are now investigating whether the dispute was connected to the fire. Technical fault ruled out as possible cause Investigators have ruled out a technical fault as the cause of the fire. However, it remains unclear whether the fire was started deliberately or broke out accidentally. Police are investigating the cause of the fire, the possible role of the arrested man and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three Indian nationals. ​