Officials and media reported on Wednesday that a fire in northwestern Turkey killed a mother, her six children, and two nephews, despite the father’s efforts to save the family.
The fire broke out shortly before midnight late Tuesday in an apartment in the city of Bursa, where a Syrian refugee family who had been in Turkey since 2017 had moved in a month and a half before, according to officials.
According to local media, the mother, her six children aged one to ten, and two nephews aged 11 and 12 were all inside the flat when the fire broke out.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the father, who arrived home late after attending a funeral in Istanbul, attempted to save those inside but was overcome by smoke.
“Inside, there are nine bodies. Anadolu quoted Bursa regional governor Yakup Canbolat as saying, “Eight of them are children.”
Alinur Aktas, the city mayor, said in a tweet that the fire was most likely started by a wood-burning stove inside the apartment.
Turkey is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees who have sought refuge in the country since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
