A series of German politicians have died ahead of state elections, sparking wild conspiracy theories online.
A total of 16 candidates for local elections in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the biggest in the country, have died, according to its election director.
Of the 16 people who have passed away, seven were involved with AfD, while one person each from the SPD, the Social and Democratic Alternative (SDA), the FDP, the Greens, the Animal Welfare Party, the Independent Voters' Association (UWG), the Free Voters, the Referendum Party, and a voter group also died.
Conspiracy theorists came out in their droves after the death of four, later seven, candidates standing for AfD, a right-wing upstart party that has surged in popularity since its inception in 2013.
These conspiracies were amplified by the party's co-leader Alice Weidel, who shared a claim by retired economist Stefan Homburg that the number of candidate deaths was 'statistically almost impossible'.
