Fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations leaves 15 dead and several badly hurt

A fire at an Istanbul nightclub during renovations on Tuesday left 15 people dead and several badly hurt, officials and reports said.

At least eight people were injured, seven of them hospitalized in serious condition, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The nightclub, which was closed for the renovations, was on the ground floor of a 16-story residential building in the Besiktas district on the European side of the city bisected by the Bosphorus.

The fire was brought under control.

Gov. Davut Gul told reporters at the scene that the cause of the fire was under investigation, and the victims were believed to be involved in the renovation work.