Dozens killed as fire breaks out at ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) — Dozens of people were killed after a fire ripped through a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, forcing desperate holidaymakers to leap from windows to escape from the flames and smoke.

At least 79 people were killed in the early morning blaze at a hotel in the Kartalkaya resort in Bolu province, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported, citing the Bolu Prosecutor’s office.

A total of 51 people were also injured, according to Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Many children are believed to be among the victims. The Turkish health ministry said on Wednesday that of the injured, 39 people have been discharged from hospital and 12 are still receiving treatment.

Authorities have identified 52 of the deceased, Yerlikaya said.

As the identities of some of the victims emerged, local schools and businesses started to post death notices for students and educational staff. Some were reported to be fifth graders, aged 10 to 11 years old.

Among those who lost their lives were 14 members of the same family, CNN Turk reported.

“We are in deep pain,” Yerlikaya told reporters on Tuesday.

Officials said some desperate holiday goers had tried to jump out of windows in order to escape, as flames licked the top floors of the facility. Footage of the aftermath showed wreaths of gray smoke swirling around the charred building.

The 12-story hotel was built onto a cliff, complicating efforts to extinguish the flames. Emergency crews arrived at the scene at 4:15 a.m. local time – almost an hour after the fire broke out – at 3:27 a.m. local time, said Yerlikaya.

Turkey’s government launched an investigation into the fire, and at least 11 people have been detained, including the municipality’s deputy mayor in charge of the fire department, according to Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc.

Also detained were “the business owner, the general manager of the company and the hotel manager,” Tunc said.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X that 11 people have so far been detained as part of the investigation into the blaze, including the municipality’s deputy mayor in charge of the fire department, and the director of the department.

Eyewitnesses recalled the scent of burning, with guests’ screams filling the upper floors of the hotel. Others said the hotel’s fire detection service failed to work. A number of videos, some shared on social media and others broadcast by Turkish TV stations, showed flames coming out of the top floors of the hotel. Some people were seen using tied bed sheets to try to escape the blaze.

“It was so bad. Everybody was jumping out of the windows with the fear of death and people were so ashamed as there were no fire-extinguishers around,” one eyewitness told CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

“We could not get water to people. Ambulances and fire trucks came really late, and people did not know what to do,” the eyewitness added.

A guest staying on the third floor of the hotel said the alarm failed to sound, the Associated Press reported, citing the IHA news agency.

“My wife smelled the burning… We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames,” said Atakan Yelkovan. “People on the upper floors were screaming.”

The resort is a popular destination for holiday-makers in the winter, especially during school holidays, which run from January until the first week of February. The timing of the blaze fell in the school holidays, when people from Istanbul and Ankara travel to the Bolu mountains to ski.

There were around 234 guests staying at the hotel, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Two of the victims died after jumping out of the building “in a panic,” Aydin said.

At least 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site, Aydin’s office said. According to Yerlikaya, authorities mobilized 267 emergency personnel to respond to the blaze. Authorities evacuated other hotels at the resort as a precautionary measure, and guests were housed in hotels around Bolu.

Funerals took place around Turkey on Wednesday following the tragedy. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a service in the northwestern province of Bolu, near the scene of the blaze.

“Our hearts and souls are hurting and we are currently trying to fulfill this duty,” an emotional Erdogan said, according to Reuters. “I pray for patience for the entire family and our nation.”

The leader was seen crying during the service, and helped carry the coffin of one of the victims. The president previously declared Wednesday a day of mourning.

The-CNN-Wire
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