Building housing Turkish residents in Solingen set on fire: 4 dead, including 2 children

In the German city of Solingen, a building where Turkish residents lived has been set on fire once again. In the fire that broke out late last Sunday night, 4 Bulgarian citizens of Turkish descent, including 2 children, lost their lives, while 9 people were injured. It was announced that those who lost their lives were from the same family and were identified as İsmail Zhilov (29), Kıymet (28), Gizem (5), and Elis (three months old).

In a statement made by the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the fire was the result of arson and that it had been started by pouring flammable material. The fire brought to mind the 1993 Solingen tragedy, in which 5 Turkish citizens lost their lives.

In a statement made by Turkey's Consulate General in Düsseldorf, it was said, "We wish God's mercy upon our Bulgarian-Turkish kinsmen who lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the apartment building where they lived in Solingen early yesterday morning, we extend our condolences to their grieving relatives, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

We strongly hope that the nature of the fire in question will be investigated and clarified as soon as possible. In this context, our Consulate General will continue to remain in contact with the relevant authorities."

THE SOLINGEN TRAGEDY

On May 29, 1993, in the German city of Solingen, Turkish citizens Hülya Genç (9), Gülistan Öztürk (12), and Hatice Genç (18) lost their lives at the scene, while Gürsün İnce (27) and Saime Genç (4) died in the hospital where they had been taken with injuries, after their house was set on fire by Neo-Nazis.

The attackers caught after the incident were tried, and 4 far-right extremists received various prison sentences. Two of the attackers were released for good behavior. The perpetrators, who were found guilty of murder in 1995, were released after serving their sentences.