E. German Shot After Swimming to West
An escaping East German man was shot and critically wounded Thursday after he reached West German territory by swimming the Elbe River, police said.
Police said in a statement that the 19-year-old man, who was not immediately identified, was already on West German territory when he felt something hit his chest.
It was not immediately known who fired the shot.
Although East German border troops have fired on people fleeing to the West, there have been no recent shooting incidents along the heavily fortified border.
Police said the man escaped near the town of Alt Garge, about 30 miles southeast of Hamburg, where the Elbe River forms the border between the two German states.
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