Istanbul Building Inferno

A fire that raged from the basement of a 16-storey building in central Istanbul killed at least 29 people, with flames and thick smoke billowing for hours despite a massive emergency response.

Rescue efforts had ended by early evening, the city governor's office said, and eight people were arrested over the blaze that began in a basement where builders had been renovating a nightclub.

The fire in the Gayrettepe neighborhood of the city's Besiktas district was put out by late afternoon, the office of regional governor Davut Gul said.

As well as the 29 killed, one hurt person was still being treated in hospital, Gul's office said.

It was not immediately clear whether the victims died from smoke inhalation or from the flames.

TV images from the scene showed large flames roaring from lower-storey windows, spewing a column of thick black smoke that hugged the building's facade.

All the men working on the site had died, the governor's office said, without specifying whether they accounted for all of the victims.

The toll rose throughout the afternoon, with most of the 12 people initially reported seriously hurt then succumbing to their injuries despite hospital treatment.

The venue, a popular Gayrettepe nightspot called "Club Masquerade", boasted several stages and regularly gave live concerts.

But local media reported that the owners had not secured a permit for the work on the 1,500-capacity club, that it lacked emergency exits.Those arrested included the club's owner and manager, as well as the head of the metalworking company carrying out the renovation work.

Istanbul's newly re-elected mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who rushed to the scene, said "the fire is under control. Let's hope there are no further victims", offering his condolences to the relatives of the dead and injured.