Three Indian nationals were killed and five others injured in a fire at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, according to local media reports.
Firefighters found the bodies of two women aged 25 and 27 and a 26-year-old man in an apartment on the second floor on Wednesday, reports NDTV.
The five injured people suffered smoke inhalation and received treatment at hospitals in Bochum. However, local media reports did not specify their nationalities.
Police arrested a 41-year-old Romanian national who also lived in the building on suspicion of murder.
Investigators have ruled out a technical fault as the cause of the fire and suspect arson.
However, they have yet to determine whether someone deliberately set the fire or it started accidentally.
The fire broke out early on Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in Bochum’s Hofstede district.
Firefighters faced difficulties entering the apartments as flames spread upwards through the stairwell, preventing them from using it to reach residents on the upper floors.
