At least 29 people have been killed in a fire in a sixteen-storey building in Istanbul, the Turkish channel reports. TRT Haber. At least eight seriously injured people were also initially reported, but most of them died in hospital.
The fire broke out in an entertainment venue on the ground floor of the building and was probably caused by repair work. It is a nightclub that consists of several floors. The fire started on the ground floor and spread upstairs. The fire has now been extinguished.
Several construction workers are said to be among the 29 dead. Nightclub employees may also have been present.
According to local governor Davut Gül, the injured are still being treated in hospital. It is not known exactly how many people were injured. The governor expressed his condolences to the relatives of the deceased.
Gül also said that the exact cause of the fire is not yet clear. Turkish media report that an explosion occurred before the fire started. The governor could not respond to that.
Minister of Justice Yilmaz Tunç reports https://twitter.com/yilmaztunc/status/1775147041540251869 that an arrest warrant has been issued against five people. They would be responsible for the renovation work.
