Seven candidates for Germany's right-wing AfD party have died in a matter of weeks - with just nine days remaining until a crunch set of local elections.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's densely-populated western region which contains cities including Cologne and Dusseldorf, is preparing for polls on September 14.

But a string of AfD candidates have died - sparking intense speculation and demands for an investigation.

Stefan Homburg, a professor at the University of Hannover, has described the deaths as "statistically almost impossible".

His warning, shared to social media platform X, was reposted by AfD leader Alice Weidel and Elon Musk, who owns X.

But Kay Gottschalk, the party's regional deputy chairman, said on Tuesday: "What I have in front of me... just partial information... doesn't back up these suspicions at the moment".

He told Welt TV: "We will, of course, investigate these cases with the necessary sensitivity and care."

Though Mr Gottschalk stressed there was "no indication" that this is "murder or anything similar."

Seven candidates for Germany's right-wing AfD party have died in a matter of weeks

Some of those who died "have pre-existing medical conditions", he said.

Hans-Joachim Kind, a candidate in Kremenholl, a district around 16 miles east of Dusseldorf, died this week of natural causes after a long illness, the AfD confirmed to Politico.

Mr Kind's death added to a list of four candidates and two "reserve list members" who had died in the preceding weeks.

Wolfgang Seitz, Wolfgang Klinger, Stefan Berendes, Ralph Lange, Rene Herford and Patrick Tietze were all found dead.

The first four are said to have died suddenly or unexpectedly - while Mr Herford and Mr Tietze died from kidney failure and by suicide, respectively.

Kay Gottschalk (pictured right with party leader Alice Weidel, left) has vowed to 'investigate these cases with the necessary sensitivity and care'

Mr Gottschalk said he wanted a probe into the deaths "without immediately getting into conspiracy-theory territory".

And he added that his party would have to deal with the situation carefully, out of respect for the family members of those who died.

Over 20,000 candidates are expected to run for office on September 14 across North Rhine-Westphalia, which has a population of 18 million.

Some candidates from other parties have also died - though none have registered as many deaths as the AfD.

In May this year, Germany's MI5 equivalent declared the party an "extremist entity" which "threatens democracy".

That was just months after the party came second in the German federal election in February, picking up the majority of its seats in the east of the country.

Germany's then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser oversaw the declaration of the AfD an 'extremist entity' earlier this year

Germany's then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser declared "no political influence" had played a part in the AfD's "extremist" designation.

Ms Faeser, a month prior, successfully filed a criminal complaint against a journalist for sharing an image online of her holding a digitally manipulated sign reading: "I hate freedom of speech."

While last summer, she banned right-wing magazine Compact, with the publication's editor branding the move "the worst invasion of press freedom in Germany".

Ms Faeser lost her Cabinet post in May after now-Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative coalition won power.

Her replacement, Alexander Dobrindt, ordered illegal migrants to be turned back at the German border just a day after coming into office.