Germany: Child Dead, 10 Injured after Fire at Thuringia Refugee Shelter

A child has died and 10 other people were injured after a fire tore through a refugee shelter in Germany on Sunday.

Police said the fire broke out at 5 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) in Apolda, in the eastern state of Thuringia.

Eyewitnesses said that the flames were several meters high.

The district administration office said 245 people were registered in a refugee shelter, which is now uninhabitable.

Police reported that the cause of the fire was not clear and a criminal investigation was being conducted "at full speed".

Such investigations are standard practice after fatal fires and do not indicate suspicion of any criminal activity.

Residents of the shelter who were rescued by the firefighters were transferred to another refugee reception center in nearby Hermsdorf. They were accompanied by police officers and interpreters.

Ten people were taken to hospital. Local media reported that some of them suffered from smoke inhalation, while one person suffered a broken leg.

A 9-year-old boy from Ukraine has been reported missing. Authorities said forensic analysis was needed to determine if the body found inside the building was the missing boy.

Thuringian Minister of the Interior Georg Meier, expressed his dismay at the "terrible news" in Apolda.

"My thoughts are with my parents and the relatives of the dead child," he said.

The state's immigration minister, Doreen Dienstadt, also visited the site to meet with victims and police.

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that the federal security authorities are ready to cooperate with the state authorities.