Turkey: Seven dead, including three children, in gas explosion

The tragedy claimed the lives of seven people, including three children, in Turkey on Friday. According to local authorities, they died as a result of a gas explosion in a barbecue in the west of the country.

“I wish mercy to our seven citizens who died in the explosion,” the mayor of Nazilli (Aydin province), where the explosion occurred, wrote on Twitter, sending “condolences to their families.”

City Council member Özlem Cercioglu explained on the Habertürk channel that the three victims were children. According to Turkish media, four more people were injured, and a suspect in involvement in the accident was arrested, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. On Twitter, the minister writes: “I wish the mercy of God to our citizens who died as a result of the explosion of the restaurant, condolences to their families and patience, a speedy recovery to the victims.”

Footage broadcast by Turkish TV channels shows emergency services hard at work in front of a restaurant with a blackened façade and smashed windows.

“The Nazilli Prosecutor General’s Office has launched a judicial investigation into the explosion,” Habertürk, a local TV channel, reported.