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Hundreds of asylum seekers in Sweden evacuated after suspected arson attacks

by Reuters
Wednesday, 17 May 2017 13:54 GMT

FILE PHOTO - A firefighter works to extinguish a fire that broke out early in the morning at an accommodation for asylum seekers, near Munkedal in Sweden October 20, 2015. REUTERS/Adam Ihse/TT News Agency

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Several asylum centres have been burned down in suspected arson attacks in the last couple of years

STOCKHOLM, May 17 (Reuters) - More than 300 asylum seekers in Sweden were evacuated from their housing in southern Sweden in the early hours of Wednesday, after suspected arson attacks, police said.

City of Vaxjo police said 200 asylum seekers were evacuated after fire destroyed a municipal building next to their accommodation.

There were no reported injuries.

In the towns of Malilla and Borrby, police said suspected arson forced more than 100 asylum seekers to abandon their living quarters, six of them suffered minor injuries.

Sweden, with a population of 10 million people, reversed many years of generous immigration policy in late 2015 by introducing tougher border controls and immigration laws.

More than 160,000 people sought asylum in Sweden in 2015, most of them were fleeing war and economic hardship in Africa and the Middle East.

A number of asylum centres have been burned down in suspected arson attacks in the last couple of years.

(Reporting by Johan Sennero; Editing by Simon Johnson and Louise Ireland)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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