Joking German minister Seehofer urged to quit as Afghan deportee dies

A day after Germany’s outspoken Interior Minister Horst Seehofer joked that 69 Afghan migrants were deported on his 69th birthday, it has emerged that one of the group has died.

The 23-year-old failed asylum seeker had lived in Germany for eight years.

His body was found in temporary accommodation on Tuesday, six days after being flown to Kabul.

Political opponents called for Mr Seehofer to resign, saying he was unsuitable for the job.

“Hopefully his laughter has stuck in his throat… it’s high time he goes,” said left-wing Linke MP Jan Korte.

The unnamed man, originally from northern Afghanistan, had come to Germany as a minor. He had been living in Hamburg and had convictions for theft and resisting officers.

He was put on a flight on 4 July with 68 other failed asylum seekers, as part of a German programme to deport Afghans to areas of the country seen as safe. The policy is part of an EU-wide push to step up removal of failed asylum seekers.

He was given a temporary place to stay at a hotel run by the International Organization for Migration for returning migrants who have nowhere to go.

The 23-year-old is thought to have killed himself some time on Tuesday. The Pro Asyl charity said he had apparently been forced into a situation where he had no way out, and it warned there was a risk it might not be an isolated case.

BBC