Fire at Istanbul nightclub leaves at least 29 dead

First modification: 04/02/2024 – 19:26

1 min

This Tuesday, April 2, a fire in a nightclub in Istanbul caused the death of at least 29 people. The Turkish authorities reported that the accident took place at the Masquerade establishment, a renowned concert venue located in the central Gayrettepe neighborhood.

As a result of the intensity of the flames, dozens of firefighters were deployed to the site to help those who were trapped.

Davut Gül, regional governor, reported that Some of the dead are workers who were in charge of renovations at the premises, which has a capacity of 3,000 people and operates in the basement of a 16-story building.

In addition, the local president rejected the initial versions that referred to an explosion in the building. Meanwhile, he confirmed that the nightclub had the authorization to operate, which they renewed in 2018.

Turkish authorities open an investigation and arrest five people

The Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunç, announced the appointment of three prosecutors to carry out the investigations into the possible causes that sparked the fire.

Likewise, the official confirmed the issuance of arrest warrants for five people: three workplace officials, the manager in charge and a person responsible for renewal.

“May God have mercy on those who lost their lives in the fire that occurred in a business in the Gayrettepe district of the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” added Yilmaz Tunç on the X social network.

The fire started inside Masquerade and then expanded, reaching the fifth or sixth floor, causing a large amount of smoke, Turkish television station 'NTV' showed.

The mayor of the city, Ekrem Imamoglu, explained that a large amount of construction material was scattered around the premises, a factor that could have contributed to the fire spreading quickly.

With Reuters and EFE