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The Dong Xuan Center in Berlin: The largest Asian market in Germany
Photo: Jörg Carstensen / picture alliance / dpa
Three men aged 35, 36 and 37 were critically injured in a dispute in the Asian wholesale market Dong Xuan Center in East Berlin.
As the police announced on Saturday, they had to undergo emergency surgery.
Another 36-year-old was treated in hospital with cuts.
All those involved are now out of danger.
According to the police, a group of several people approached another group on the premises of the wholesale market.
During a violent argument, they attacked each other with machetes, knives and wooden slats.
A police spokesman said several people then fled.
There is still no information about the cause of the dispute.
The Dong Xuan Center with around 350 shops consists of several large halls, each with dozens of shops, which are mainly run and visited by Vietnamese.
In addition to services, clothing, toys and electronic items are sold there.
Stephan Weh, national head of the police union, said of the incident: "Everyone should know by now that the Dong Xuan Center often plays a role for internationally active smuggling gangs and human traffickers and is considered a central drug hotspot for the Vietnamese community." In 2023, a 28-year-old was stabbed and seriously injured there.
The police initially spoke of a total of five injured on Saturday and identified a 36-year-old as a suspect.
A search is currently underway for other perpetrators.
lhi/dpa