By The Associated Press’s SUZAN FRASER
Turkey’s ANKARA (AP) Early Tuesday, during a school holiday, a 12-story hotel at a well-known ski resort in northwest Turkey caught fire, killing at least 76 people, at least two of whom leaped from the building to escape the flames, according to officials.
According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the Grand Kartal hotel fire in Kartalkaya, in the Koroglu mountains of Bolu province, around 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul, also injured at least 51 people. The incident happened close to the beginning of the two-week school winter vacation, when lodging in the area is at its peak.
We have broken hearts. Yerlikaya told reporters outside the hotel, “We are in mourning.” However, you should be aware that the person who caused this suffering will not get away with it.
There was commotion on the top levels as additional guests attempted to flee, including by attempting to use blankets and sheets to climb down from their rooms, according to third-floor hotel visitor Atakan Yelkovan, who spoke to the IHA news agency.
The higher stories were filled with yelling people. Sheets were draped down. According to Yelkovan, some attempted to jump.
On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, firefighters fight to put out a fire in a hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, northwest Turkey. (IHA through AP)AP
On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, firefighters respond to a fire that started at a hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu region of northwest Turkey. (Photo by Dia/Mert Gokhan Koc via AP)AP
According to Yerlikaya, 45 of the 76 fatalities have been recognized, while the remaining victims are still being sought.y.
At least one of the injured was in critical condition, according to Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, while the other seventeen were treated and allowed to go.
According to Yerlikaya, there were 238 registered guests at the hotel. He told reporters the fire department started responding at 4:15 a.m. after the incident was reported at 3:27 a.m.
Six prosecutors were assigned by the government to oversee the inquiry into the fire, which is thought to have originated in the restaurant area of the hotel. According to Yerlikaya, nine people have been taken into custody as part of the fire investigation. The hotel owner was one of those detained for interrogation in the investigation, according to earlier statements made by Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc.
Earlier, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency that at least two of the victims died after they leaped from the building in fear. The Sozcu daily reported that Nedim Turkmen, a journalist, his wife, and their two kids were among the dead.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, declared Wednesday to be a day of national mourning. He declared that all Turkish diplomatic missions overseas and government buildings would have their flags lowered to half-staff.