"Our worst fears have been realised," the zoo, which specialises in primates, announced on its Facebook page.
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Police said at least 30 of the animals had died. The blaze destroyed the monkey enclosure, which opened in 1975, shortly before midnight.
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But firefighters prevented the flames from spreading to other buildings at the zoo in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was not clear what started the fire.
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The zoo would remain closed during Wednesday with employees "in shock" after a "terrible tragedy", the management said.
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The burnt-out shell of the monkey house at Krefeld Zoo. Photo:Â Christoph Reichwein/dpa
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