Current:Home > MyFire tears through nightclub and apartment building in Istanbul, killing at least 29 people: "I've lost four friends" -WealthRoots Academy
Fire tears through nightclub and apartment building in Istanbul, killing at least 29 people: "I've lost four friends"
Chainkeen View
Date:2025-04-06 16:43:21
A fire that raged from the basement of a 16-story building in central Istanbul killed at least 29 people Tuesday, with flames and thick smoke billowing for hours despite a massive emergency response. Rescue efforts had ended by early evening, the city governor's office said, and eight people were arrested over the blaze that began in a basement where builders had been renovating a nightclub.
The fire in the Gayreteppe neighborhood of the city's Besiktas district began at 12:47 local time and was put out by late afternoon, the office of regional governor Davut Gul said.
An AFP reporter saw three exhausted firefighters sat on the ground with smoke-blackened faces and equipment as they recovered from the effort.
As well as the 29 killed, one hurt person was still being treated in hospital, Gul's office said.
It was not immediately clear whether the victims died from smoke inhalation or from the flames.
"An investigation has been opened into the fire that occurred in... Istanbul," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on social media.
TV images from the scene showed large flames roaring from lower-story windows, spewing a column of thick black smoke that hugged the building's facade. Authorities cut power, water and gas to the area as a precaution, the Reuters news agency reported.
All the men working on the site had died, the governor's office said, without specifying whether they accounted for all of the victims.
Gov. Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that the cause of the fire was under investigation and the victims were believed to be involved in the renovation work.
Some of the victims died in hospitals where they were rushed in ambulances, private NTV television reported.
The nightclub was closed for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and its owners were trying to complete the renovation work in time for next week's Eid holiday, which follows the month of fasting, NTV reported.
Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is aware of the tragedy following a phone call with the interior minister, the BBC reported.
"I've lost four friends"
The toll rose throughout the afternoon, with most of the 12 people initially reported seriously hurt then succumbing to their injuries despite hospital treatment.
"I've lost four friends," local man Fikret Kaya told AFP as firefighters were leaving the scene, but could not say any more.
Not far from him, a woman wearing a black cap was weeping with her head in her hands.
The venue, a popular Gayrettepe nightspot called "Club Masquerade," boasted several stages and regularly gave live concerts.
Its license was first issued in 1987 and renewed in 2018, governor Gul said, adding that the club was "maintained and renovated."
But local media reported that the owners had not secured a permit for the work on the 1,500-capacity club, that it lacked emergency exits and that basement columns had been removed, leaving it vulnerable to earthquakes.
Those arrested included the club's owner and manager, as well as the head of the metalworking company carrying out the renovation work.
Istanbul's newly re-elected mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who rushed to the scene, said "the fire is under control. Let's hope there are no further victims", offering his condolences to the relatives of the dead and injured.
"May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured," he posted on social media, along with images of him talking to officials at the scene.
Gayrettepe’de çıkan yangında ne yazık ki hayatını kaybeden vatandaşlarımızın sayısı 16’ya ulaştı. İtfaiye ekiplerimizin yoğun çabası devam ediyor. pic.twitter.com/zOTlhf6EEE
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) April 2, 2024
- In:
- Turkey
- Fire
veryGood! (815)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- California driving instructor accused of molesting and recording students, teen girls
- Pat McAfee. Aaron Rodgers. Culture wars. ESPN. Hypocrisy. Jemele Hill talks it all.
- Lawmakers may look at ditching Louisiana’s unusual ‘jungle primary’ system for a partisan one
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- The 33 Best Amazon Deals This Month— $7 Dresses, 50% off Yankee Candles, 30% off Fitbit Trackers & More
- Detroit officer, 2 suspects shot after police responding to shooting entered a home, official says
- 15 Slammin' Secrets of Save the Last Dance
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- The 33 Best Amazon Deals This Month— $7 Dresses, 50% off Yankee Candles, 30% off Fitbit Trackers & More
Ranking
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Judge orders Indiana to strike Ukrainian provision from humanitarian parole driver’s license law
- Oregon Supreme Court keeps Trump on primary ballot
- Mayday call from burning cargo ship in New Jersey prompted doomed rescue effort for 2 firefighters
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- A Proud Boys member who wielded an axe handle during the Capitol riot gets over 4 years in prison
- EPA proposes a fee aimed at reducing climate-warming methane emissions
- Pat McAfee. Aaron Rodgers. Culture wars. ESPN. Hypocrisy. Jemele Hill talks it all.
Recommendation
What to watch: O Jolie night
Quaker Oats recall expands: Various Cap'n Crunch cereals, Gatorade bars on list for salmonella risk
Michigan’s tax revenue expected to rebound after a down year
Judge orders Indiana to strike Ukrainian provision from humanitarian parole driver’s license law
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Help wanted: Bills offer fans $20 an hour to shovel snow ahead of playoff game vs. Steelers
A British D-Day veteran celebrates turning 100, but the big event is yet to come
Simone Biles talks Green Bay Packers fans, husband Jonathan Owens, Taylor Swift at Lambeau