Cologne police have said that the number of women claiming that they were assaulted on New Year’s Eve has risen to 379 with half of the cases reported involving crimes of a sexual nature.

Police said on Saturday that the number of cases reported to them had reached 379 and about 40 % of which involved allegations of sexual offences.

According to local authorities, most of the suspects come from North Africa, while the investigation concerns asylum seekers and people who stay in Germany illegally.

“Those in focus of criminal police investigations are mostly people from North African countries. The majority of them are asylum seekers and people who are in Germany illegally,” police said.

However, according to the German media, gathering data and information is difficult because of the chaos that prevailed during New Year’s Day in the center of Cologne.