O Yeni Safak newspaper, close to the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that sparks from a welding machine used to install acoustic insulation and decoration material were at the origin of the fire. An explosion may have been triggered which, in turn, set fire to other construction material.
The newspaper cited unidentified sources from the local fire department, and the Sabah newspaper also published similar information.
Authorities have not publicly commented on the cause of the fire.
The governor of Istanbul, Davut Gul, had told the press that the origin of the fire was under investigation, with the government appointing prosecutors and investigators to investigate the circumstances.
The HaberTurk television channel reported, in turn, that the area where renovation work was taking place was like a “labyrinth”, making it difficult for victims to exit.
The fire that hit the popular Masquerade club trapped workers and employees inside, causing 29 deaths and one serious injury.
Among the dead were the club’s DJ, a cook, a team of welders made up of father and son, the local press also reported.
Turkish authorities detained nine people for questioning, including the nightclub managers and those responsible for renovation work.
Closed for renovations during the holy month of Ramadan, the nightclub occupied the ground floor and basement of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas neighborhood on the European side of the Turkish city of Istanbul. Its reopening was scheduled for April 10th.
A video from the day of the fire, released in the meantime, showed flames coming out of the side of the building, firefighters fighting the flames at the entrance to the night club and people carrying a victim on a stretcher towards an ambulance.
“After the firefighters arrived, bodies began to be removed from the club,” according to the official Anadolu agency, citing witness Sema Soganci, who reported: “People were screaming, everything happened suddenly and the flames were like crazy.”
“I started crying, I was nervous,” she said.
Another witness, Mehmet Cengiz, also told Anadolu that firefighters were seen leaving the scene “all blackened”.
The night club had a capacity for four thousand people, with the manager of the residential building telling journalists that the place was originally designed as a cinema.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, re-elected on Sunday, revealed that the night club did not have the necessary licenses to carry out the renovation work.
Read Also: Destruction and fatigue. The images after the fire that killed 29 people in Istanbul
Download our free App.
Eighth consecutive year Consumer Choice for Online Press and elected product of the year 2024.
* Study by e Netsonda, Nov. and ten. 2023 product of the year – pt.com
Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2533193/possivel-origem-do-incendio-em-clube-de-istambul-em-obras-de-renovacao
