Nine people, including five children, have been killed in a fire in a house in the western German city of Ludwigshafen.
A further 24 were taken to hospital, and it was possible that more bodies would be found in the house, which was in danger of collapse, police said.
It was unclear what had caused the fire, the spokesman said, adding that 52 people, mostly Turkish citizens, were registered as living in the house.
The number of deaths could have been higher had a group of police, firemen and other emergency staff not been celebrating carnival nearby, the spokesman said. They helped catch children thrown from the upper floors of the building.