A huge fire on Thursday engulfed a hospital in Istanbul forcing patients to evacuate as firefighters battled the smoke and flames. The blaze, which started in the roof, turned the side of the building into a burned-out shell, sending a massive black cloud into the sky. Patients, some wearing oxygen masks, were wheeled out into the street in their sick beds while mothers were forced to leave clutching young babies.
Firefighters used elevation lifts to try to extinguish the fire at the top of the multi-storey hospital building in the Gaziosmanpasa district of Istanbul. However local officials said there were so far no reports of casualties although some patients may have been affected by the smoke. Speaking at the scene, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said the fire services had managed to bring the blaze partly under control.
Echoing comments by other officials, he said there were no current reports of casualties. "So far there is no sad news. God willing, it will stay that way," he told the crowds outside in comments broadcast by television.