Istanbul fire kills 27, injures 8, confirms city governor

A fire in a residential building in Istanbul has killed 27 people and injured 15 on Tuesday, as per the governor of Turkey's economic capital, reported Daily Sabah.

Out of 15 injured, at least seven people are critically wounded, as per AFP.

"The number of people who lost their lives in the fire in the Gayrettepe neighbourhood is now at 15 dead and eight people have been hurt, seven of them severely," governor Davut Gul's office said in a statement.

Those wounded had "been transferred to hospitals in the region" and "an investigation is underway" the authority added.

The blaze had broken out during construction work in the basement of a 16-story building in Gayrettepe, part of central Istanbul district Besiktas, Gul told reporters.

Newly-re-elected Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who rushed to the scene, said that the basement had housed a nightclub, according to AFP.

"The fire is under control. Let's hope there are no further victims," Imamoglu said, offering his "condolences" to the relatives of the dead and injured.