Five young children who died after a horror house fire broke out while their mother was out selling scrap metal for money were found ‘on top of each other’, neighbours have revealed.
The children, aged one to five, were reportedly left inside the locked home in Turkey’s western izmir province and died from smoke inhalation on November 11.
Local Turkish media reports that mother Melisa Akcan, 27, had left the house to collect scrap metal that she could sell to feed her children. Her husband, Hakan Akcan, is currently in prison.
While she was out, a terrifying blaze broke out at around 7.30pm, with early investigations suggesting it was caused by an overturned electric heater.
The flames quickly engulfed the entire house, trapping siblings Aras Bulut Akcan, one, Masal Işık Akcan, two, Aslan Miraç Akcan, three, Funda Peri Akcan, four, and Fadime Nefes Akcan, five, inside.
Neighbour Esma Sahin, who ran to help during the fire, told local media: ‘It was a very painful incident. The children had locked the door and their mother had left. They all died on top of each other. Those children were not at fault.’
Melisa Akcan (pictured), 27, had left the house to collect scrap metal that she could sell to feed her children. But her children all died in the fire
Turkish media reported that this was the scene of the house fire tragedy which claimed the lives of five children
Another neighbour, Soner Şahin, 33, had just arrived back from work when she heard the mother scream ‘Auntie Esma, my children are dead.’
When he went into the house, he found the mother taking her children out through the billowing smoke.
He told Turkish newspaper Aydin Detay: ‘At that moment, I realised that five children had already lost their lives. They had been poisoned by the smoke. One of the children had burns on his body.
‘Their mother had left the children alone in the house to collect scraps and buy bread.
‘If we had known, we would have looked after the children. There were no locks on the doors. However, their mother would pull the door, remove the handle and leave the children.’
Three of the five children who were rescued died of smoke poisoning and two were seriously injured and taken to hospital but could not be saved.
The children’s father, Hakan Akcan (pictured), is currently in prison, and the kids were alone when they died
Turkish media reports that the mother was visibly distressed when she arrived at the hospital and later collapsed. After being treated, she was taken into custody for questioning as police probe the tragedy.
Police confirmed to Bianet that the children’s father is currently in prison and that the kids were along when the blaze broke out.
According to neighbours, the family was battling with financial difficulties and social services had visited their house 18 times this year.
The family did not accept the offer to place the children under state protection, according to officials.
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