Plumes of smoke billow over Istanbul from the Polat Tower fire

BBC

A large fire has swept through a 42-storey building in the centre of the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Television footage showed the Polat Tower building engulfed in thick black plumes of smoke, with pieces of debris falling to the ground, reports the BBC.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties in the building which houses shops, apartments and offices.

Firefighters - backed by helicopters - later managed to contain the blaze, the cause of which is being investigated.

Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu was quoted as saying that a faulty air conditioner may have caused the fire.

Mustafa Sarigul, the mayor of the district, said the inside of the building was not affected, according to the Associated Press news agency.

"The building's fire-extinguishing system automatically activated. Otherwise we could have faced a huge disaster," the mayor added.

Turkey's Anatolia news agencies earlier reported that many people had been stranded inside.

Roads around the building remain closed for safety reasons.