Not less than 29 people have been killed and one injured in a fire in the Masquerade Club in Turkey.
According to BBC, the club is in the basement of a high-rise building in Istanbul which was closed and being renovated during the day.
Istanbul governor Davut Gül said that the fire broke out just after midday, adding that the cause was unclear.
Mr Gül said that the victims of the fire were thought to have been involved in the renovation work.
Firefighters and other first responders surrounded the charred and smoking entrance to the club, which occupies two floors underneath a 16-storey residential building in the city’s Gayrettepe district.
Eight people, including the nightclub manager and a person responsible for the renovations, have had warrants out for their arrest in connection with the fire as investigations continue.
Three of them have been detained, while warrants are outstanding for others.
The number of victims has rapidly increased with the governor’s office issuing a string of updates.
The newly re-elected Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, said the club had not applied for the correct construction permit.
“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, the work wasn’t visible,” he said.
He also offered his condolences on social media to the victims.
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is aware of the tragedy following a phone call with interior minister Ali Yerlikaya.
