Fire at Turkey ski resort kills 10, injures 32
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Sulaiman - . January 21, 2025
- . Update: January 21, 2025 5:16 pm
A fire broke out at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring 32, the country’s interior minister said in a statement.
The fire broke out at the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, in Kartalkaya, Bolu province at around 3:27 a.m. local time, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X. There were at least 230 guests staying at the hotel, a peak time during a two-week school holiday, when the fire broke out, as per local media reports.
Witnesses stated guests tried to escape the fire using ropes, local media reported. Viral footage also showed bedsheets hanging from windows of hotel rooms. Officials confirmed that the fire had now been contained.
The fire is believed to have started in the restaurant. However, the main cause behind the fire was not immediately clear. “I heard screams around midnight, (hotel) residents were shouting for help,” Baris Salgur, who works at a nearby hotel, reportedly told NTV television.
“They asked for a blanket, saying they will jump … we did what we could, we brought rope, pillows, we brought a sofa. Some people threw themselves once the flames approached them.”
A survivor, who managed to escape the fire, told local media that there was no alarm that rang when the fire started at the hotel. The survivor complained of a lack of safety measures, including fire stairs or smoke detectors, at the hotel.
Responding to the fire, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wished a speedy recovery to the injured and affected by the “tragic accident.” He added that an investigation has been launched into the fire.
“I pray to God for mercy upon our citizens who lost their lives in the fire,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan posted on X.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc also confirmed that six prosecutors have been appointed to investigate the cause behind the fire and a 5-person expert committee has also been set up.
https://x.com/yilmaztunc/status/1881595085051101505
“I wish God’s mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the fire and a speedy recovery to our injured citizens,” the minister added.
