14 construction workers killed in fire in Turkey
Mar 11, 2012, 11:05 PM
ISTANBUL (AP) – A fire engulfed a tent used as a dormitory for workers at an Istanbul construction site late Sunday, killing 14 people, a local official said.
The workers were staying in a giant tent at the construction site of a supermarket, said Necmi Kadioglu, the mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district.
“We suspect that the fire might have originated from an electrical heater,” Kadioglu said, noting the cold weather in Istanbul.
Turkey’s state-run television reported the fire might have been sparked by a short circuit. Firefighters, working under floodlights despite the snow, managed to recover the bodies of the workers from the mangled ruins of the tent.
An adjacent tent was also burned but it was not clear if any of the workers were staying there.
Istanbul is a vibrant city, home to more than 13 million people, and construction of high-rise buildings or giant shopping malls can be seen almost in every corner of the city.
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