Fire kills 29 at Istanbul nightclub during renovation work

A fire has killed 29 people at a nightclub that was under renovation in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul.

The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon. Local authorities say one person is seriously injured and being treated in the hospital.

Footage taken by an NHK crew shows black smoke billowing from the club on the basement floor, while fire trucks and ambulances rush to the scene.

Local media report that many of the victims are renovation workers.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said in a social media post that a team of experts has started investigating the cause of the fire.

He also indicated that authorities plan to detain five people, including the person in charge of the renovations.

xinhua