The toll of the fire that occurred today in the center of Istanbul, inside the “Club Masquerade”, a room in the basement of a 16-storey condominium in Gayrettepe, a neighborhood on the European side of the city on the Bosphorus, continues to worsen. According to the latest official news, there are 29 victims, all workers involved in a renovation. Rescuers were unable to save them, trapped in the flames. According to a statement from the Istanbul prefecture, the causes of the fire are not yet precisely clarified even if the fire “originated from the renovation works”, reports Anadolu. For now, arrest warrants have been issued for five people responsible for the work, said the Turkish Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunç. A sixth person was questioned.
The prefect of Istanbul has appointed two magistrates to carry out the investigation. The tragic toll also includes three injuries. “An investigation is underway,” the authorities added. The newly re-elected mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, who rushed to the scene, said that «the fire is under control. We hope there are no other victims,” said Imamoglu, expressing his “condolences” to the relatives of the dead and injured.
Türkiye, fire in a building in the center of Istanbul: several dead and injured
Among those arrested are the club managers and a person in charge of the renovation works. The nightclub, which was closed for renovations, was located on the ground floor of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas neighborhood, on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus.