Public servants face jail over deadly nightclub fire

Almost six months after a fire at an Istanbul nightclub killed 29 people, prosecutors are seeking jail sentences for 13 public servants.

The municipal and fire department employees in Istanbul’s Besiktas district were accused of misconduct and negligent homicide in connection with the issuing of construction permits.

The state news agency Anadolu reported on Tuesday.

The officials face between two to 17 years in jail, added Anadolu.

Twenty-nine people were killed in the nightclub fire in April.

The fire broke out during renovation work on the lower second floors of a 16-story residential building.

The owner and eight other suspects are being tried in a separate court case, including multiple counts of negligent homicide.

The latest indictment cited the nightclub’s flawed fire protection, among other things.

The blaze was foreseeable due to welding work with highly flammable materials, Anadolu reported from the indictment.

Anadolu said that the two court trials were merged and the next hearing is set to take place on Oct. 7.