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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 12 april 2017

Germany: Pregame blasts rock soccer team bus; player injured

MARTIN MEISSNER cide, Luecke said.
Associated Press “We had to assume, and
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) assumed right from the
— Three explosions went off start, that this was a tar-
near the team bus of Borus- geted attack against the
sia Dortmund, one of Ger- team of Borussia Dort-
many’s top soccer clubs, mund,” Dortmund Police
as it set off for a Champions Chief Gregor Lange. Inves-
League quarterfinal match tigators are not excluding
on Tuesday evening. One any possible angles in their
of Dortmund’s players was investigation, while the
injured. “concrete background” to
Police said they were work- the blasts remains unclear,
ing on the assumption that he said. There were three
the blasts were directed at explosions near the Dort-
the Dortmund team and mund bus as the team left
caused by “serious explo- the L’Arrivee Hotel and Spa
sive devices,” which may on the outskirts of the west-
have been hidden in a ern city of Dortmund for the
hedge near a car park. stadium, around 10 kilome-
The explosions happened ters (6 miles) away, at 7.15 A camera man films Dortmund’s team bus after it was damaged in an explosion before the
as the team was depart- p.m. local time (1715 GMT), Champions League quarterfinal soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco in
ing its hotel for a first-leg police said. Dortmund, western Germany, Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
match against Monaco. A window on the bus was (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The game was called off damaged and Spanish de-
shortly before kickoff and fender Marc Bartra was in- was sitting in the last row of Inside the packed stadium, somehow because it’s only
rescheduled for Wednes- jured. Club spokesman Sas- the bus, next to Bartra. supporters of Monaco, 24 hours before we have to
day. cha Fligge said Bartra was Bartra was hit by shards which plays in the French play. That’s our job,” Dort-
A letter claiming responsi- operated on late Tuesday from the broken back win- league, chanted “Dort- mund Chief Executive Of-
bility was found near the for a broken bone in his dow, he added. Players mund, Dortmund” in sym- ficer Hans-Joachim Watzke
site of the blasts, prosecutor right wrist and to remove ducked for cover, wonder- pathy for the German side. said.
Sandra Luecke told a late “foreign objects” from his ing whether there would Dortmund residents, for Watzke added that there
evening news conference. arm. be more explosions. their part, used social me- was “no alternative” to re-
She said investigators are Dortmund goalkeeper Ro- “We’re all shocked — no- dia to offer accommoda- scheduling the match for
examining the authenticity man Buerki said the team body thought about a tion to stranded Monaco Wednesday, as Monaco
of what was written in the bus had just pulled out of football match in the min- supporters ahead of their also has to play over the
letter, but wouldn’t reveal the hotel driveway when utes after that,” Buerki said. rescheduled match in Eu- weekend and the return
more about its contents, an explosion — a “huge Lange said a further “suspi- rope’s premier soccer club Champions League match
citing the ongoing investi- bang” — happened and cious object” was found at competition. is scheduled for next week.
gation. sent glass flying. Buerki, the scene, but it does not “The team is totally “It’s a very unfortunate situ-
The case is being investi- who is from Switzerland, appear to have been an- shocked, that’s clear. It’s ation, but there was no oth-
gated as attempted homi- told Swiss daily Blick that he other explosive device. our task now to digest this er way,” he said.q

Hundreds of migrants at large after fire ravages French camp

JEAN GUILBERT election. demise, the government as part of waves of recent remain unaccounted-for,
ANGELA CHARLTON Police cordoned off the said in a statement. migration to Europe. the mayor and prefect told
Associated Press largely destroyed camp The interior and housing As many as 1,600 people reporters Tuesday.
GRANDE-SYNTHE, France in the Dunkirk suburb of ministers headed to the were in the camp when the Doctors Without Borders,
(AP) — Authorities and aid Grande-Synthe on Tuesday scene in a sign of the gov- blaze broke out, according which set up the site a year
workers are searching for and investigators inspected ernment’s concern about to Grande-Synthe Mayor ago to replace filthy make-
several hundred migrants the site to try to determine the issue. Damien Careme and pre- shift camps in the region, is
who disappeared after a the cause of the Monday Most of the camp near the fect Michel Lalande, the holding meetings Tuesday
fire ravaged their camp in night fire, which broke out English Channel is now re- top government official for to decide what to do next.
northern France, a shock- following a fight between duced to the charred re- the region. Other aid groups are plan-
ing blaze that exposed rival groups of migrants. mains of wooden shelters Some 500 were taken to ning to distribute meals
anew the challenges and Three mobile police units and sparse belongings of three local gymnasiums, Tuesday to migrants in the
tensions around Europe’s were deployed in the the migrants, who con- including one set aside for gymnasiums and anywhere
migrants just 12 days be- area to head off tensions verged on northern France children and families — but else they are found around
fore France’s presidential prompted by the camp’s in hopes of reaching Britain most of the other migrants town.q