At least 29 people lost their lives after a fire broke out midday Tuesday in a Turkish nightclub undergoing renovations, the BBC reported.
The Masquerade club occupied two basement floors in a 16-story residential building in Istanbul, according to the outlet. At least one injury reportedly occurred. (RELATED: Aerial Images Show Aftermath Of Fire That Tore Through Actress’ Home)
At least 29 people now confirmed to have died in fire at Istanbul nightclub undergoing renovations https://t.co/9hwIA9Yj1R
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 2, 2024
Davut Gül, Istanbul’s governor claimed that the cause of the fire was uncertain and its victims were thought to be involved in the night club’s renovations, the BBC reported. Several people, including the nightclub manager and manager of renovations, reportedly faced arrest warrants in connection to the police investigation over the matter.
The renovation work was slated to last from March 10 to April 10, according to The Masquerade’s website.
“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,” Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s mayor, claimed, according to the BBC.
“May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” Imamoglu tweeted in Turkish.
Gayrettepe’de meydana gelen yangında 8 vatandaşımızın hayatını kaybetmesinden ötürü çok üzgünüz. 6’sı ağır 15 yaralımız var. Hayatını kaybeden yurttaşlarımıza Allah’tan rahmet, yaralılarımıza acil şifalar diliyorum. https://t.co/VFhdAaqQoo
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) April 2, 2024
Governor Gül also tweeted in Turkish expressing his “condolences” about the incident “to our nation.”
Milletimizin başı sağ olsun…#Beşiktaş https://t.co/PRKtQ9RQcL
— Davut GÜL (@gul_davut) April 2, 2024
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, was made aware of the incident after being phoned by his interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, the BBC reported.