Man dies while trying to burn wife alive at refugee home in Germany

A man in a refugee shelter died today while trying to set his wife on fire, leaving the woman seriously injured and part of the building ablaze, German police reported on Thursday 1 September 2016.

Photo: Wiesbaden112.de (Creative Commons BY-NC-SA)

The 45-year-old man, whose nationality was not given, was previously known to police, said authorities in Rüdesheim on the Rhine in the central state of Hesse, Germany.

The woman, who had previously separated from her husband, was taken to hospital by helicopter, police said. Two other people were injured in the fire in the shelter that houses 14 people.

Further details and motivations are unknown as the investigation has only just begun.

300,000 asylum seekers

Germany took in around one million asylum seekers in 2015 and expects about 300,000 arrivals in 2016.

The mass influx has forced Germany to accommodate the newcomers in hostels, sports halls and army barracks, where crowded conditions have at times sparked violent clashes.

Original fire service report: Familiendrama in Rüdesheim (in German)

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