Fire kills two people in Turkish apartment in Germany

A fire broke out in the Hohenberg neighborhood in Cologne, Germany, on Saturday for unknown reasons in the predominately Turkish apartment. Two people, a German man and an Albanian woman, were killed while 13 people were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation and four people were reported as missing by German police on Sunday. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the Turkish government was monitoring the developments surrounding the incidents closely, adding, "I cannot help thinking this: How do these fires select just Turkish apartments to break out in? I have difficulty in understanding that. I wonder whether the problems with electricity or electric outlets only happen in Turkish apartments or houses. However, the fact that German authorities consistently announce just five minutes after each incident that there is no sign of a racist attack or any relation to extremist neo-Nazi groups has lead me to ask these questions. What information do you [German authorities and police] make such announcements only five minutes after the incidents? On what data, do you make such assessments?"