AT least 25 people have been killed in a fire at a nightclub in Istanbul.
Authorities in the Turkish city detained several suspects after a horror inferno ripped through the venue, which was closed for renovations.
GettyThe damage after a fire broke out in a nightclub during renovation work[/caption]
GettyEmergency crews at the scene in the Besiktas district[/caption]
At least eight people were hurt, with seven of them hospitalised in serious condition, city mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said.
An explosion happened during renovation work, sparking a fire and filling the building with smoke, according to local media.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene to rescue those trapped inside.
It is understood the victims were involved in the renovation work of the nightclub, which was on the ground floor of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas district.
Gov. Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Authorities detained five people for questioning, including managers of the club and one person in charge of the renovations, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.
Images show the aftermath of the blaze, with windows at the site burnt out.
Gul said the possibility of negligence during the refurbishment will be probed.
It comes after 13 people were killed when a busy nightclub in Spain went up in flames.
Firefighters were forced to search for victims in the smouldering ruins of the venue in the southeastern city of Murcia in October.
Another four people – two women, aged 22 and 25, and two men, 41 and 45 – were injured after suffering smoke inhalation.
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