A hotel fire in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Turkey killed 76 people and injured dozens. The fire broke out on Tuesday morning in the hotel restaurant. Some tourists escaped from the fire by jumping out of windows on sheets.
Tuesday morning at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province in the northwest Turkey a fire broke out. Initially, 66 deaths and 51 injuries were reported. However, the number of deaths later increased to 76.
Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin indicated in an interview with the Turkish news agency Anadolu that some of the fatalities were people who died after jumping from the burning building in panic. Turkish television NTV reported that some guests tried to escape from the fire-engulfed 11-story hotel by jumping down on tied sheets.
30 fire brigade vehicles were sent to fight the fire, and 28 ambulances also arrived at the scene. Local residents and people staying in nearby guesthouses also came to help, Daily Sabah reported. Additionally, nearby hotels were evacuated.
Nine people were detained
An investigation was initiated into the fire and nine people were arrested, including the owner of the facility. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that those responsible for the tragedy would be punished. “All necessary steps are being taken to shed light on all aspects of this incident and hold those responsible accountable,” he said. He also announced that there would be national mourning in the country on Wednesday.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. It is understood that it broke out in the restaurant and then quickly spread to other parts of the hotel. NTV indicates that the wooden cladding on the hotel's exterior may have accelerated the spread of the fire. Footage shown on Turkish television shows the upper floors and roof of the building on fire.
Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, told NTV that he was sleeping when the fire broke out. He said he ran out of the building and then helped 20 guests leave the hotel. He added that the building was full of smoke, which made it difficult for tourists to find an emergency exit. – I can't contact some of my students. I hope everything is fine with them, said the ski instructor.
Local authorities said that 234 guests were staying at the hotel, located in the Koroglu Mountains, about 300 km east of Istanbul, at the time of the fire. ABC News points out that Turkish schools are currently on holiday, so the centers are overcrowded. Kartalkaya Resort is one of the main winter destinations in Turkey.
Condolences are being sent to Turkey from abroad in connection with the fire, including: from the European Union, Greece, Russia, Azerbaijan. Also Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sincerest condolences to the families and relatives of the fire victims.
Main photo source: Mehmet Emin Gurbuz/Anadolu via Getty Images