Turkish police arrest three over dormitory collapse

03/08/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- Police on Saturday (August 2nd) detained three people in connection with the deadly collapse of a school dormitory in the central village of Balcilar early Friday. The collapse, apparently caused by a blast stemming from a gas leak, killed 18 girls who were attending Koran courses during summer break. Another 27 were injured. Officials identified the detainees as the chairman of a local association that owns the building and organised the course, the school dormitory director and the deputy director. Investigators say the summer course was illegal, as only the government-sponsored Directorate for Religious Affairs is authorised to arrange such courses. Officials also said the 18-year-old building was unlicensed.

In other news Saturday, a forest fire killed one person and destroyed 60 houses in the popular tourist region of Antalya. Another person is reported missing. Flames devastated 4,000 hectares of forest and threatened historical sites, including the ancient Greek amphitheatre in Aspendos. The forestry authority calls the fire "a catastrophe". (Hurriyet, CNN Turk, NTV, Sabah, Anadolu news agency, Reuters - 03/08/08; Hurriyet, Radikal, Anadolu news agency, Reuters, BBC, AFP, Euronews - 02/08/08)