French apartment fire claims another Turkish victim

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - Another Turkish person injured in a fatal fire which broke out in a French housing block has died, bring the death toll from the Oct. 1 blaze to six.

Nihal Ertuc, who sustained 60 percent burns to her body, passed away at Metz University Hospital late on Tuesday night, her family told an Anadolu Agency reporter.

This latest fatality brings the death toll to six, including four Turkish nationals.

The Ertuc family also lost their nine-year-old daughter Sanem, who has since been buried in Istanbul.

Nihal Ertuc's husband, Ismail, was slightly injured and their eight-year-old son Eyup is still receiving treatment in Nancy Hospital.

Two other children, Damla Aksu and her brother Emirhan, also died in the fire. They were buried in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey on Saturday.

Their father, Oguzhan Aksu, is still receiving treatment at Metz University Hospital.

A 28-year-old man, who lives in the same building in Mulhouse, eastern France, was arrested after admitting having discarded a lit cigarette butt in the block’s basement.