12 killed, 24 wounded in dormitory fire in Turkey's Adana

A total of 12 people, mostly children, were killed and another 24 were wounded late on Nov. 29 when a fire broke out at a private girls' dormitory in the Aladağ district of the southern province of Adana.

The fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. and instantly surrounded the building, which belongs to the Tahsil Çağındaki Talebelere Yardım Derneği (Aid Association to Education-age Students).

Firefighters were only managed to extinguish the fire three hours later.

The bodies of 10 students, including one child and educator identified as Fatma Canatan, were pulled from the three-story building, while another 24 students who were exposed to smoke and jumped from the windows to escape were taken to hospital. 

The lifeless bodies of eight students were found in the attic of the building, while the bodies of other three students and Canatan were found on the second floor.

Sare Betül Genç, the four-year-old daughter of the dormitory manager, was also killed in the fire.
Seven of those killed were identified following DNA tests, while the autopsy proceedings to identify the other five are ongoing.

Adana Governor Mahmut Demirtaş had earlier announced that a total of 34 students were staying at the private secondary school dormitory.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, though Adana Firefighter Unit Department Head Fatih Durukan said initial examinations indicated that it might have been caused by a loose electric contact.

Aladağ Mayor Mustafa Alpgedik said the fire broke out on the ground floor before rising to the third floor, which was mostly wooden. The roof of the building completely collapsed after the fire spread to the third floor.

The Kozan Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has...