A fire outbreak at a Turkish nightclub has resulted in the loss of at least 29 lives, with one individual sustaining injuries.
Istanbul‘s Masquerade club, located in the basement of a towering structure, was closed for renovations during daylight hours. Governor Davut Gül of Istanbul disclosed that the blaze erupted shortly after noon, with the cause remaining ambiguous.
According to Mr. Gül, it is suspected that the individuals caught in the fire were actively engaged in the renovation activities. As investigations progress, warrants have been issued for multiple individuals, including the nightclub manager and a person overseeing the renovations.As of now, three individuals have been detained, while two others are still wanted with warrants.
The count of casualties surged as the afternoon progressed, prompting a series of updates from the governor’s office, while firefighters and first responders ringed the scorched and fuming club entrance below a 16-story residential complex in Gayrettepe.
The number of victims has rapidly increased throughout the afternoon, with the governor’s office issuing a string of updates.
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The newly re-elected Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, said the club had not applied for the correct construction permit.
“There is no application [to the local municipality] for a renovation or a construction regarding the place and as it was two floors down from the ground level, it [the work] wasn’t visible,” he said.
He also offered his condolences on social media to the victims.
“May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Following a conversation with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is now informed about the tragic events. Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been briefed on the tragic incident after conversing with Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya over the phone.