Three children among four dead in Turkey tower block fire

Three children and an adult died Thursday when a fire broke out in a 13-storey apartment block in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast, local officials said.

Diyarbakır Governor Murat Zorluoglu said the fire began around 6:30 pm (1530 GMT) on the eve of Turkey’s Eid al-Adha celebrations.

“Seventeen wounded people were transferred to hospital for treatment but unfortunately three of them died, two of them children,” he said, without giving further details.

He later updated the toll to four, saying another injured child had died.

Footage from the scene showed rescuers evacuating people from the building by basket cranes as fierce flames raged from the roof.

Media reports said firefighters had managed to evacuate 38 people, including a baby, with Zorluoglu saying they had struggled with “very intense smoke”.

“If there is any negligence, those responsible will be held accountable,” he said.

By nightfall, the fire had been brought under control and rescue teams had confirmed there was no one left inside, he said.