Massive blaze hits Istanbul landmark

A massive fire has torn through the roof of a major train station on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Officials evacuated the Haydarpasa station and temporarily halted train services after the blaze started.

Television pictures showed the roof destroyed by the blaze, which had sent a black cloud of smoke billowing across the city before fire fighters doused it from land and sea.

Fire fighters hosed the building down from land and sea to bring the fire under control and there were no reports of casualties.

Haydarpasa , built by German architects early in the 20th Century on the Asian shore of the city, is a major rail terminal linking Istanbul to the rest of Turkey.

Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters that the fire, which occurred during repair work in the roof, had been brought under control by Saturday evening.