Daytime fire at Istanbul nightclub kills at least 27 people

Ambulances and frie trucks are seen near the scene after a fire broke out during daytime renovation work at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey April 2, 2024. /Murad Sezer

ISTANBUL -At least 27 people were killed when a fire broke out during daytime renovation work at a nightclub in central Istanbul, the city governor's office said on Tuesday.

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.

One additional injured person was in critical condition at a hospital, the governor's office said.

Three prosecutors are investigating the blaze and five people were ordered to be detained, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.

(Reporting by Burcu Karakas and Ali Kucukgocmen;Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun;Editing by Daren Butler)