At least six people have been killed and seven others injured after a terrible fire broke out this morning in a perfume warehouse in the Dilovası district of Kocaeli province, in north-western Turkey, some 50 kilometres south-east of Istanbul. Two floors of the building, used as a warehouse, were completely destroyed. The causes of the fire are still unknown, although the authorities have launched an investigation and several people have already been arrested in connection with the tragedy.
The fire broke out for as yet undetermined reasons in a warehouse in Mimar Sinan Street, in the Mimar Sinan neighbourhood, where – in addition to being used as a warehouse – perfumes were also manufactured. Numerous fire brigades arrived on the scene after being noticed; the governor of Kocaeli, İlhami Aktaş, confirmed to the Anatolia news agency that the fire in Dilovası had been extinguished and that six people had lost their lives.
Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that a deputy chief prosecutor, two prosecutors and a team of experts have been assigned to the case. In addition, three suspects – the owner of the shop and two shift managers – have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan published a message of condolences as soon as he heard the news: “I offer my condolences to the families of our citizens who have lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” said Erdoğan, who confirmed that “all our institutions” are working to clarify what happened.
All the victims were women and neighbours
As for the six victims of the tragedy, their bodies have been taken to the Forensic Institute for identification and autopsy. The victims, all women, have been identified as Esma Dikan and Hanım Gülek (both 65 years old), Şengül Yılmaz (55), Nisa Taşdemir (17), Tuğba Taşdemir (18) and Cansu Esatoğlu (16).
Mehmet Düzgüner, one of the witnesses, told reporters that he heard an explosion at around 09:00 in the morning and when he went downstairs he saw a person in flames, whom he managed to help by using a hose to put out the fire: “Then I heard screams coming from inside the factory. I wanted to go in to help, but the flames were too intense and I was afraid. I couldn’t get in, so we called the fire brigade”.
“We heard people screaming in despair,” said Düzgüner. According to this witness of the fire, most of the workers were women and neighbours of the neighbourhood, further increasing the human drama caused by this disaster.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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