At least 29 people died this Tuesday in a fire that broke out in a well-known nightclub in Istanbul, according to Turkish authorities.
The fire broke out around 1:00 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT) in the Gayrettepe neighborhood, in the city center, at the Masquerade nightclub, a well-known leisure space with music concerts and a capacity of up to 3,000 people.
In telephone statements, a Masquerade source confirmed the fire at the premises, without being able to give more information because those responsible for the place are all outside, unable to enter the damaged place.
A large number of firefighters have been deployed to the area to try to save possibly trapped people and control the flames.
The venue, located in the basement of a 16-story building, with a music stage and frequent concerts, was currently undergoing renovation work.
According to the governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, at least some of the deceased are workers who were working on the renovation of the premises.
Gül denied initial reports in the press about an explosion in the building and confirmed that the nightclub, opened in 1987, had its license renewed in 2018.
From the premises, the fire spread to the building, reaching up to the fifth or sixth floor and developing enormous smoke, indicates the Turkish channel NTV.
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, told that station that a large amount of construction material was scattered around the premises, which could have facilitated the fire.
The Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunç, announced in a message on the X network (formerly Twitter) the appointment of three prosecutors to investigate the causes of the incident and added that orders have already been issued to arrest five people, including the person responsible. of the work.
