Sparks from welding underway at an İstanbul nightclub likely started a fire that killed at least 29 people, according to a video published by the Turkish interior minister on Wednesday.
CCTV footage shows a worker welding a metal object with a blowtorch, when flames suddenly erupt and thick smoke billows from the windows of the upper floors.
The fire broke out at midday on Tuesday at the Masquerade Club, a large nightclub that occupies two basement floors in a 16-story residential building in Beşiktaş’s Gayrettepe neighborhood.
Dün Beşiktaş Gayrettepe’de meydana gelen yangında maalesef 29 çalışan hayatını kaybetmişti.
Olayla ilgili iki müfettişimiz tarafından yürütülen idari soruşturma çok yönlü olarak devam ediyor.
Yangının ilk çıkış görüntülüleri yüreklerimizi bir kez daha yaktı.
Hayatını… pic.twitter.com/MAwx38ol8H
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) April 3, 2024
“The investigation … into the incident is continuing,” said Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya in a tweet published with the video on X.
The Beşiktaş Municipality on Tuesday said that it had not received any request for a permit from the owners of the nightclub or from the contractor “concerning a possible renovation of the premises.”
Nine people were detained following the fire, including the owner and manager of the nightclub and the owner of the metalworking company carrying out the work, the İstanbul Governor’s Office said.
According to Yerlikaya, the 29 people killed were workers, and none of the building’s residents present when the fire broke out died.
The nightclub was closed for the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, and its owners were trying to complete the renovation in time for next week’s Eid holiday, which follows the month of fasting, NTV reported.
© Agence France-Presse
