An 18-year-old man, also Eritrean, has been arrested and charged  with “causing severe bodily injury leading to death”, police lawyer Knut Meek Corneliussen told the local Adresseavisen newspaper on Friday morning.

”The detained man has been living at the centre for about a year, while the victim hasn’t been here that long,” Jarl Aspen, from the local police, said on Thursday night.

“The situation was unclear so we dispatched several police officers to the scene. We now have control and the suspect has been detained. As far as we know, no one else was involved.”

According to a police statement, the woman was found severely wounded shortly before 8.30pm last night.

When the police arrived shortly afterwards, the 18-year-old tried to escape by jumping out of a window, but hurt his foot when he landed, after which he was arrested without struggle.

Ambulances arrived at 8.55pm, but medics were unable to save the girl, who was confirmed dead an hour later.

“This is a tragic event, both for the residents at the reception and for those who work there,” said Ståle Refstie, mayor of Sunndal, the town where the centre is located. “We must work to find out how that could happen.”