Berlin, Oct 5 (IANS): The number of people seeking asylum in Germany this year will be as high as 1.5 million -- almost double the previous estimate, a media report said on Monday.

However, the German government has not confirmed the new estimate which comes from an internal official statement, BBC reported citing German daily Bild as saying.

The Interior Minister of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania region, Lorenz Caffier, gave an estimate of 1.2-1.5 million asylum claims for this year.

But federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said it was very hard to give accurate figures. Some refugees either avoided registration or moved elsewhere after being registered in one place, he said.

In 2014, the national total for asylum claims was 202,000.

The migrant influx is stretching resources in many German cities, including Hamburg, where empty commercial properties can now be seized in order to house migrants.

Many are refugees fleeing the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are also many economic migrants from the Balkans, Asia and Africa.