Victims of German apartment fire commemorated

The first anniversary of a German apartment building fire where at least nine Turks lost their lives, including five children, was marked yesterday in both Germany and Gaziantep, the Turkish hometown of many of the victims. Federal Commissioner for Migration Maria Boehmer, Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Ahmet Acet, and Gaziantep Greater Municipality Mayor Asim Guzelbey attended a ceremony in Ludwigshafen, the southwestern German city where the fire occurred. Speaking at the gathering, Boehmer expressed her sorrow over the lives lost, adding that the tragedy had brought Germans and Turks closer together. State Minister Said Yazicioglu sent a message to the gathering, saying, "If arson was responsible, the culprits should be found as soon as possible."