Police said two Syrian asylum seekers were beaten with baseball bats by several masked attackers in the eastern German town of Wismar on the Baltic Sea.

Police in nearby Rostock said yesterday that the Syrian men, who were not identified, were standing outside their shelter on Saturday night when the group started harassing and beating them. The attackers then fled and the two asylum seekers had to be taken to the hospital and treated for their injuries. Police have not been able to track down or identify the attackers yet and did not say how many people were involved in the attack. Attacks against asylum-seekers and migrant shelters have increased sharply in Germany in recent months as refugees surge into Europe.