At least 76 people killed in hotel fire at ski resort in northwestern Turkiye

A fire raged through a 12storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkiye early Tuesday during a school holiday killing at least 76 people at least two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames officials saidAt least 51 people also were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya in Bolu provinces Koroglu mountains some 300 kilometres east of Istanbul said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya The fire occurred near the start of a twoweek winter break for schools when hotels in the region are packedWe are in deep pain We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site Atakan Yelkovan a hotel guest staying on the third floor told the IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire including by trying to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blanketsPeople on the upper floors were screaming They hung down sheets Some tried to jump Yelkovan said Yerlikaya said 45 of the 76 people killed have been identified while efforts to identify the other victims were continuing Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition while 17 other people were treated and releasedThe hotel had 238 registered guests Yerlikaya said The fire was reported at 327 am and the fire department began to respond at 415 am he told reporters The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze which is believed to have started in the hotels restaurant section Nine people have been detained as part of the investigation into the fire Yerlikaya said Earlier Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the hotels owner was among the people detained for questioning in the probeAt least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building in panic Gov Abdulaziz Aydin told the staterun Anadolu Agency earlier Those killed included Nedim Turkmen a columnist for Sozcu newspaper his wife and two children the newspaper announced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a day of national mourning to be observed on Wednesday All flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic mission abroad would be lowered to halfstaff he saidNecmi Kepcetutan a ski instructor at the hotel said he was asleep when the fire erupted and he rushed out of the building He told NTV television that he then helped some 20 guests out of the hotel The hotel was engulfed in smoke making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape he said I cannot reach some of my students I hope they are OK the ski instructor told the station Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fireWitnesses and reports suggested that the hotels fire detection system failed to operate My wife smelled the burning The alarm did not go off said Yelkovan the guest interviewed by IHA We tried to go upstairs but couldnt there were flames We went downstairs and came here outside he saidYelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel in a chaletstyle design may have accelerated the spread of the fire Part of the 161room hotel is on the side of a cliff hampering efforts to combat the flamesBecause the rear side is on a slope intervention could only be made from the front and sides Yerlikaya confirmed Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that no negative situation regarding fire competence was reported by the fire departmentEarlier in an address in Ankara Erdogan said Unfortunately we received very sad news this morning from Bolu Kartalkaya Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotelAll necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible accountable he addedNTV showed a smokeblackened lobby its glass entrance and windows smashed its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed to the ground Aydins office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in hotels around BoluMeanwhile a gas explosion at a hotel at another ski resort in central Turkey injured four people The explosion took place at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas province Two skiers and their instructor were slightly injured while another instructor received seconddegree burns to the hands and face the Sivas governors office saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever