Two homeless men set on fire in Berlin

Passers-by 'put out blaze with fire extinguisher'

Men treated at scene and taken to hospital with severe burns (Alamy Live News.)

Two homeless men have been doused in a flammable liquid and set on fire at a Berlin train station, leaving them with serious burns, police have said.

Police said an unknown assailant attacked the men – aged 47 and 62 – at night in front of Schoeneweide station in the suburbs.

German tabloid Bild reported a witness quickly called the fire brigade and passers-by put out the blaze using a fire extinguisher from a nearby food stall, although the dpa news agency said police could not immediately confirm that.

The men were treated at the scene before being taken to a hospital.

Detectives are investigating the incident, but the motive for the attack is unclear.

Photographs from the scene, which was cordoned off on Monday morning, showed a melted shopping trolly and charred belongings lying on the ground.

It is estimated up to 10,000 people are homeless in Berlin, some of whom have been targeted by assailants in recent years.

In June 2017 a 21-year-old man was jailed for two years and nine months after lighting a fire next to the head of a 37-year-old man sleeping on a bench at an U-Bahn train station in Kreuzberg.