ISTANBUL (AP) – A fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations on Tuesday killed at least 29 people, officials and reports said. Several people, including managers of the club, were detained for questioning.
At least one person was being treated at a hospital, the Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement.
The Masquerade nightclub, which was closed for renovations, was on the ground and basement floors of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas district on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus. The fire was extinguished.
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.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE- APRIL 02: Some personnel from fire brigade rest amid extinguishing efforts and search-rescue efforts after a fire broke out in a nightclub in the basement of a 16-storey building in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, Turkiye on April 02, 2024. Death toll rises to 29 in the fire, says provincial governorship. Fire brigades and emergency teams were dispatched to the scene of the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (Photo by Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Authorities detained six people for questioning, including managers of the club and one person in charge of the renovations, Gul’s office said.
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.
Police sealed off the area while power and natural gas to the neighborhood was cut off as a safety precaution.
TOPSHOT – Relatives of victims react near the site of a fire in a residential building in Istanbul on April 2, 2024. A fire killed at least 29 people in a 16-storey residential building in Istanbul on April 2, the governor of Turkey’s economic capital said, updating an earlier toll of 15 dead and eight hurt. The blaze had broken out during construction work in the first and second floors below ground, which housed a nightclub, governor Davut Gul told reporters. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said authorities were inspecting the entire building to assess its safety.
Several firefighting and medical teams were dispatched to the scene, he said.
The nightclub had not obtained the necessary permit to undertake construction and renovations, the mayor said.