Fire tears through nightclub and apartment building in Istanbul, killing at least 29 people: "I've lost four friends"

A fire that raged from the basement of a 16-story building in central Istanbul killed at least 29 people Tuesday, 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 Gayreteppe neighborhood of the city's Besiktas district began at 12:47 local time and was put out by late afternoon, the office of regional governor Davut Gul said.

An AFP reporter saw three exhausted firefighters sat on the ground with smoke-blackened faces and equipment as they recovered from the effort.