In a Turkish nightclub fire, at least 29 people have died and one has been injured.
During the day, the Istanbul high-rise building’s underground club, Masquerade, was closed for renovations.
The governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, reported that the fire started shortly after midday and that it was unknown what caused it.
According to Mr. Gül, it was believed that the fire victims had been participating in the renovation work.
As investigations into the fire continue, eight people—including the manager of the nightclub and the person in charge of the renovations—have warrants out for their arrest in relation to it.
While warrants are pending for several of them, three have already been placed under arrest.
Swarming the smoldering and burned entrance of the club, which is located in the city’s Gayrettepe neighborhood and takes up two floors beneath a sixteen-story apartment block, were firefighters and other emergency personnel.
The governor’s office has released a series of updates throughout the afternoon, indicating a significant increase in the number of victims.
Ekrem Imamoglu, the recently re-elected mayor of Istanbul, claimed the club had not submitted the proper application for a building authorization.
He stated, “There is no application [to the local municipality] for a renovation or construction about the place, and it [the work] wasn’t obvious because it was two storeys down from the ground level.”
He also sent the victims his condolences via social media.
He said on X, the former Twitter platform, “May God have mercy on our compatriots who lost their life, and I wish a swift recovery to our injured.”
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya over the phone and learned of the incident.
(BBC)
