Fire in a girls dormitory in Turkey’s Adana province claims lives of 12 teenagers

Fire in a girls dormitory in Turkey’s Adana province claims lives of 12 teenagers.

While the cause of the fire is still unknown, there are speculations about the lack of efficient inspection or monitoring on the part of the responsible parties.

Governor of Adana Mahmut Demirtaş reported ‘12 teenagers lost their lives and 22 were taken to nearby hospitals.’ Among the wounded, some are students who tried escaping by jumping out the windows.

According to the reports of Aladağ District Head Mustafa Akgedik, it is a ‘girls dormitory for students in secondary education and a total of 28 students were staying in.’ Akgedik also stated that ‘since the very top floor of the building is made of wooden material, there is also a collapse’ in the building.

Ömer Çelik, Minister of EU Affairs and AKP Adana MP, said about the disaster: “I am in Brussels. I called the Governor when I heard about it. He is in Aladağ district already. We have 13 lives lost; may Allah bless their souls. We also talked with the Interior Minister. They are headed to Adana with the Minister of Education. I will also fly there directly after finalizing my meetings. It is a sad news that 13 of our siblings lost their lives. I extend condolences to all of Turkey. The incident will be investigated. I hope the number of deceased does not rise but there could be conflicting information until all is cleared out. I heard about the number of lost lives from the Governor. They would make the official announcement. This is what I am informed as of now. It is thought that it could have taken place because of an electrical problem.”

When the reports about the fire came at around 20:30 (November 29), the decree of the Council of Ministers on changes in Structure and Responsibilities of the Ministry of Education was being discussed at the Parliament. CHP Parliamentary Group Head Engin Altay questioned the fire that broke out at this private dormitory which is also claimed to be under the Ministry of Education, with the name of Özel Aladağ Tahsil Çağındaki Talebelere Yardım Derneği Ortaöğretim Kız Öğrenci Yurdu (Private Girls Dormitory of Aladağ Association of Aid for School-ages Students).

On the other hand, in a video where a man says his daughter stays in this dormitory and is now missing, the dormitory is said to be, by the same man, belonging to ‘Süleymancılar’ (an Islamic community named Suleymanites).

Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/adana-da-ogrenci-yurdunda-yangin-cok-sayida-olu-var-137573.html