The baby
The nightmare scenario of a fire in a packed German tenement block has been captured by one photograph. It shows a small baby in free fall through smoke-filled air. His eyes are closed and his arms are outstretched, as if reaching out for someone. The ground is far, far below. There are no safety nets or blankets, but a forest of arms is already stretching upwards to catch him.
The baby wasn't the only one to fall through the air like this. "People screamed out of open windows. Parents threw their children down, towards the hands of policemen. Then they jumped too," one eyewitness said. But it was the baby that held the world's horrified gaze.
Within hours of Sunday's blaze it was reported that the baby boy, Onur, had survived. A split second after his uncle threw him from the third floor of the flaming building, a police officer managed to catch him, saving him from hitting the concrete street.
Police confirmed that baby Onur, who is around six months old, was released from hospital yesterday and is doing well.
The police officer
The police officer, whose identity has not been released, but whose fast reflexes have generated headlines such as "The wonder of Ludwigshafen," was one of 500 emergency workers who raced to the blaze.
"Our colleague was injured as he dived to save the fast-falling baby. His actions meant the baby didn't hit the ground," said Ludwigshafen police spokeswoman Simone Eisenbarth. "He is still recovering. The experience left him in shock and he is having counseling to come to terms with the trauma." He and many of his colleagues are still off duty following the house fire, in which nine people died, including five children and a pregnant woman.
It has been described as the worst fire in western Germany since the World War II. Some 60 people were severely injured and many more were treated by emergency services outside the building on Danziger Platz.
The local mayor honored the rescue services, saying they risked their lives and performed ubermenschlich, or superhuman tasks.
The parents
With a scream, Onur's uncle let the baby fall. The mother cried uncontrollably. Then both jumped out of the smoke-filled window after the child, according to eyewitness reports. The pair, like the majority of people in the building, are Turkish. The police said they are recovering from their injuries. Onur's mother is still in hospital.
The building
The block of flats was more than a century old. It was home to three Turkish families and 24 people were registered as living there.
On Sunday, Ludwigshafen, like towns and cities across western Germany, was in the midst of its annual carnival celebrations, replete with a colorful procession and lots of drink. "The carnival route went right by the building. It seems the flats were crammed with visitors as friends and relatives had come over to celebrate and see the procession," one official said.
Its staircase was made of wood, which went up in flames instantly, trapping everyone. "We had to give up on searching inside. After three or four minutes the stairs collapsed," said firefighter Peter Friedrich.
Kenan Kolat, president of the Turkish organization TBB, yesterday joined family and friends of the victims for a minute's silence by their former home. He described his shock at the desolate remains of the building.
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