Huge fire tears through nightclub killing at least 27 people

The number of the victims is likely to rise.

Huge fire tears through nightclub killing at least 27 people
Members of the Istanbul Fire Department tackling a blaze at a nightclub.
Fire brigades respond to a blaze at a 16-storey building in Istanbul (Picture: Getty)

At least 27 were killed and several others critically wounded in an inferno at a nightclub in Turkey.

Flames engulfed the 16-storey building on Yıldız Posta Street in central Istanbul, on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus. 

The blaze happened during daytime repair work, mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Tuesday.

It started on the second floor of the high-rise where the nightclub was based, and spread upwards.

Members of the Istanbul Fire Department tackling a blaze at a nightclub.
Multiple teams were deployed to the scene (Picture: EPA)
Members of the Istanbul Fire Department tackling a blaze at a nightclub.
At least eight people were rushed to hospital (Picture: EPA)

The number of people killed in the incident was initially put at 15, but it was later updated to 25 and then 27.

Reports suggest at least eight people have been rushed to hospital, with seven of them in critical condition.

Multiple fire brigades were deployed to the site in the Besiktas district where the fire was raging.

Police are now hunting for five people suspected to be involved in the incident, Turkey’s minister of justice Yılmaz Tunç confirmed in a statement on X.

Governor Davut Gul told reporters that the cause was under investigation, and the victims were believed to be involved in the renovation work.

He said: ‘Treatment of our wounded are continuing in hospitals. All our friends are here. Our condolences to all of us.’

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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