The death of a Bulgarian family of four in Germany has been a leading topic in the press in recent days. There are suspicions that it was an intentional murder.
A man and a woman and their two children died in a fire in the city of Solingen (West Germany). Tagesspiegel reports that their building was mostly inhabited by people of migrant origin. Several other people were injured. According to the German media, they are Bulgarian citizens with Turkish roots.
There are suspicions that the fire was intentional, because such an incident is not the first time. The media recalled the tragedy in 1993 in the same city, when four German neo-Nazis set fire to the house of a family of Turkish origin, resulting in the death of five family members.
The German authorities started an investigation into the incident, and there was also a reaction from Turkey. The Consulate General of Turkey in Dusseldorf insisted on investigating and clarifying the nature of the fire as soon as possible.
The prosecutor's office announced that there are clear indications of intentional arson because traces of an incendiary substance were found on the wooden staircase. As the fire started from the staircase, the exit was practically blocked for the residents and some of them jumped from the windows of their homes to save themselves.
There are still no suspects in the arson, if it turns out to be intentional. The migrant community believes that it is a racist attack with xenophobic motives. WDR reports that the dead are from Bulgaria. The prosecutor's office does not confirm that the reason for the arson was xenophobic.
TAZ.de writes that the dead Bulgarians are a couple aged 28 and 29, as well as their two children: 3 years old and a five-month-old baby. Other residents were injured, some of them seriously. A large part of the residents of the neighborhood have migrant roots.
"We wish the mercy of Allah to our Turkish compatriots from Bulgaria who lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the apartment where they lived in Solingen, condolences to their bereaved relatives and a speedy recovery for the injured. We strongly hope that the nature of the fire in question will be investigated and clarified as soon as possible. In this regard, our Consulate General will continue to maintain contact with the relevant authorities," wrote the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Düsseldorf.
Tagesschau, referring to the services, reported that among the victims there were also Bulgarian citizens. In the same house a year and a half ago there was already a fire, also in the staircase. Then the fire was discovered early and was quickly extinguished by the fire department. The perpetrator has not yet been identified.