A painful day for Mehmet Şimşek: Niece dies in gym fire

A fire in the sauna section of a sports gym in Batman killed two people, including the niece of Turkey’s Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek.

The fire broke out at a gym in Batman’s Gültepe neighborhood for an undetermined reason. Firefighters, medical teams and UMKE emergency personnel responded after flames spread and heavy smoke filled the facility. Crews brought the fire under control and began cooling operations.

Batman Governor Ekrem Canalp said 11 people were affected. One person was in serious condition, while eight others were stable. He said firefighters had repeatedly searched the site and found no sign of anyone else inside.

Authorities identified the dead as 42-year-old Emine Yani and Şanzime Sarıgül. Yani was the niece of Mehmet Şimşek and was married with five children. An investigation into the cause of the fire remains underway.

“

A fire broke out at a private sports gym in Batman. Eleven citizens were affected by the fire. One is in serious condition, and eight are currently stable. Unfortunately, we lost two citizens. The fire department is conducting its own investigation into the cause of the fire. Firefighters carried out repeated searches. They found no sign of any other citizen.