Three Indian nationals were killed and five others injured in a fire at a residential building in Bochum, Germany, early Tuesday, local media reported on Wednesday.
The deceased were two women aged 25 and 27, and a 26-year-old man, German public broadcaster WDR reported, citing Bochum police. Their identities and home states in India were not disclosed.
Police have arrested a 41-year-old Romanian national who lived in the building on suspicion of murder, German news channel n-tv reported, citing the German Press Agency (DPA).
A Bochum police spokesperson told WDR that there were initial grounds to suspect murder. The man was questioned by the homicide squad, with police and prosecutors announcing his arrest on Wednesday.
Investigators suspect arson and have ruled out a technical defect as the cause of the fire. However, whether it was deliberately set or started accidentally remains under investigation.
The fire broke out around 4.15 am local time on Tuesday in a multi-family residential building in Bochum's Hofstede district. Firefighters found the three victims dead in an apartment on the second floor.
The five injured people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals.
The rescue operation was complicated by flames spreading upwards through the stairwell, preventing firefighters from using it to reach residents on the upper floors. Emergency personnel rescued five people using a turntable ladder, portable ladders and a safety cushion, according to media reports.
(With inputs from PTI)