Homeless Die in Central Germany

02/12/2005| IslamWeb

At least nine people have died in a fire at a shelter for homeless people in central Germany.

The blaze swept through the mobile homes used to house the homeless in the town of Halberstadt, about 170km (100 miles) west of Berlin.

Authorities said that the fire, which has been brought under control, broke out during the early hours of Friday.

Police said at least five others were injured and taken to hospital, and gave no immediate cause for the fire.

They were attempting to establish how many people were inside the shelter at the time of the blaze, which ripped through five housing units.

According to official records the shelter had 15 residents, but police said they thought more were living there, the Associated Press reported.

Police spokesman Ulrich Wagner said an investigation was under way into the cause of the fire and also into why the homeless people were housed in the temporary accommodation.