Fire at German pig breeding facility kills more than 55,000 animals

Around 55,000 pigs have died in a fire at a facility in Germany

The fire broke out on Tuesday at the facility in Alt Tellin, in north eastern Germany.

Some 7,000 sows and 50,000 piglets were listed as being at the facility at the time, and only about 1,300 animals were rescued.

The Alt Tellin facility was one of the biggest of its kind in Germany.

The blaze spread quickly, in part through ventilation shafts, and destroyed the stalls where the animals were kept.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear.

A spokesman for operator LFD Holding, Ralf Beke-Bramkamp, told German news agency dpa that more than 55,000 animals died.

Groups of demonstrators, carrying placards with slogans such as "Stop animal torture", gathered at the scene on Wednesday.