Probe sought in Belgian fire

ANKARA / KAYSERİ

The fire took place in a two-story building in Vilvoorde near Brussels. AA photo

Turkey has urged Belgium to investigate allegations of negligence in a fire that killed a Turkish woman and severely injured her husband and two children.

In a statement issued Dec. 29, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed sorrow that a Turkish national had been killed and that three others were severely injured in the fire and said the Turkish embassy and consulate were following the case closely.

Ankara urged Belgian authorities to shed light on the incident, particularly in regard to allegations concerning the circumstances behind the blaze.

Tuba Elçi, 25, died after she and her husband, Ramazan Elçi, 26, jumped out of the window of their apartment located on the second story together with their 2-year-old daughter and 40-day-old son. The lives of the children were saved but the mother did not survive the fall.

Kemal Çamsarı, Tuba Elçi’s uncle, said a neighbor told him on the phone that they had called the firemen to report the fire, but the person on the other end had hung up because he was speaking in French. The fire took place in Vilvoorde near Brussels where Flemish is widely spoken. The firemen reportedly arrived 45 minutes later.

Tuba Elçi was buried in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri on Dec. 29, Anatolia news agency reported.