Some 50 police officers were deployed to the refugee center in Hamburg-Bergedorf on Thursday, following reports of a fight between two large groups of Syrian and Afghan migrants.

More than 200 refugees were involved in the clash, some of whom were injured, a police spokesperson told the German news agency DPA.

Reasons for the brawl were unclear, as were the extent of the damage and the number of injuries.

It's not the first time such an incident has occurred. Earlier this week, at a refugee center in the German city of Kessel, a massive fight broke out between Pakistani and Albanian migrants that left 14 people injured, according to the AFP news agency.

In another incident about a month ago, a Syrian refugee set off a riot in Suhl, Germany, after ripping pages out of a Koran.

While such incidents are rare relative to the thousands of people housed in refugee accommodation in Germany, the country's police union called for refugees to be grouped according to religion as a way to avoid violence, according to the AFP.

blc/sms (dpa, AFP)