As of: April 3, 2024, 6:51 a.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
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A fire broke out in a nightclub in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul. According to official information, 29 people died.
Update from April 2nd, 10:39 p.m.:
On Tuesday evening, the governor's office in Istanbul announced for the first time details about the devastating fire in a 16-story residential building, in which 29 people have died and others have been injured. The fire broke out at 12:47 (local time) in the centrally located district of Besiktas, in a district called Gayrettepe.
As the Turkish news portal
Hürriyet
reported, citing fire department information, the fire may have been caused by a pipe explosion that occurred during a welding process in the discotheque. As a result of the explosion, fiber materials used in the renovation are said to have caught fire and caused numerous cases of smoke inhalation.
“I lost four friends”: 29 people die after major fire in Istanbul discotheque
Firefighters battled flames on the lower floors for hours. The facade of the building was covered in thick clouds of smoke. It wasn't until late afternoon that the governor announced that the fire was under control. In the early evening he announced that the search for possible further victims had been ended.
Firefighters and emergency teams work after a fire that broke out at a nightclub in Istanbul during the day. © Khalil Hamra/dpa
The shock in Türkiye is deep. “I lost four friends,” 40-year-old Fikret Kaya told
AFP
. The reporters reported a strong smell of burning above the entrance to the club where the fire is said to have started. “The club was closed during Ramadan,” said 46-year-old local resident Erkan Karakoc. An
AFP
reporter saw exhausted firefighters with soot-blackened faces resting on the ground after the major operation.
The police arrested two more people by early evening. This means that a total of eight people are currently in custody, including the owner and manager of the disco as well as the boss of the craft company that carried out the construction work. According to local media reports, the “Club Masquerade,” which regularly hosts concerts and has space for 1,500 to 2,000 people, did not have an emergency exit. In addition, supporting columns have been removed, which is dangerous in the event of an earthquake.
Six arrests after major fire in Istanbul nightclub
Update from April 2nd, 5:48 p.m.:
29 people died in the devastating fire in the midday hours on the lower two floors of a 16-story residential building in Istanbul. The cause and identities of the victims were initially unclear. The Turkish union Umut-Sen wrote of dead “workers” and an explosion, without naming more precise sources.
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The investigation is ongoing. Six people have now been arrested, state news agency
Anadolu
reported . This should include, among other things, the manager of the club and the person responsible for the construction work. There was previously talk of five people being arrested.
Fire in Istanbul: At least 29 dead after nightclub fire
Update from April 2nd, 4:26 p.m.:
The number of deaths after the fire in the nightclub premises in Istanbul has risen to at least 29. One person is being treated in a hospital with serious injuries, according to the state news agency
Anadolu
, citing the Istanbul governor's office.
Firefighters work after a fire at a nightclub in Istanbul. Several people were killed. © IHA/AP/dpa
The exact cause of the fire is still unclear, but the fire could have been started during repair work, it said. The identities of the victims are still being determined. It is still unclear whether they were employees of the nightclub or the renovation company, according to the office of Istanbul Governor Davut Gül.
Devastating fire in Istanbul: 25 people die after nightclub fire
Update from April 2nd, 3:31 p.m.:
According to current knowledge, the fire in the nightclub in Istanbul has been extinguished. The local newspaper
Hürriyet
is currently reporting 25 dead and three injured. The cause and the exact identity of the victims were initially unclear. The General Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul is now investigating the incident.
As Yılmaz Tunç, Turkey's Minister of Justice, announced on X (formerly Twitter), occupational safety and fire protection experts are currently on site to determine the cause. An arrest warrant was also issued against five suspects, including a person responsible for the renovation work.
Fire in Istanbul: Number of victims after devastating nightclub fire continues to rise
First report from April 2nd, 2:52 p.m.:
Istanbul – The number of deaths after a fire in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul has now risen to 15 people. The fire broke out in the basement of a 16-story residential building, the office of Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said on Tuesday (April 2).
Fire in Istanbul: 15 people dead, eight others injured
“The number of people who lost their lives in the fire in Gayrettepe District has now reached 15,” the statement said. Eight other people were injured, seven of them seriously. Initially there was talk of eleven dead and twelve injured. As
Bild
reported, the fire is said to have broken out in a nightclub.
The Turkish newspaper
Hürriyet
reported an explosion that is said to have occurred in the building. The fire broke out immediately afterwards. The cause is still unclear, explained Gül. The nightclub was being renovated when the fire broke out. The dead are said to have been the workers who were trapped in the building by the fire. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced an investigation into the incident on X (formerly Twitter).
Most recently, a major fire occurred in a recycling hall in Bavaria.
(kas/afp/dpa)