Three arrested over Istanbul textile factory fire

ISTANBUL

Authorities have arrested three suspects over a fire that killed at least five workers, including foreign nationals, in Istanbul’s Güngören district.

A fire broke out at a four-story building where textile materials are produced on Feb. 11. Units from the fire department arrived at the scene and put out the fire at around 4:30 p.m., while six workers were transferred to hospital, the Istanbul Governor’s Office said in a statement.

The statement noted that a rescued worker later told the police that some employees locked themselves in a toilet to escape the fire.

Following the information the worker provided, a search and rescue operation was launched and the bodies of four foreign workers, who died from smoke poisoning, were found, the statement said.

Later on Feb. 14, the body of another worker was recovered from the building, increasing the number of casualties in the fire to five, Demirören News Agency reported.

Authorities identified the IDs of three workers and their bodies have been sent to Syria.

Amid the incident, an investigation was launched, and six people were detained in connection with the fire. Four suspects were referred to a courthouse in the Bakırköy district. The prosecutor decided for the arrest of three suspects who were later sent to prison while three others were released on bail.