Turkey: 9 people arrested over ski resort hotel fire that killed 76
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Hashim Sheikh - . January 22, 2025
- . Update: January 22, 2025 5:24 pm
Nine people, including the hotel owner, have been detained in connection with a deadly fire at a ski resort that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens in Turkey.
Addressing the media in front of the hotel, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests of the remaining bodies were being conducted at the forensic institute to confirm their identities, as per reports.
In a statement, the 12-storey hotel where the fire broke out expressed deep sorrow, pledging full cooperation with the authorities for the investigation.
“We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” the statement noted. “We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts.”
The fire took place at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains on Tuesday. About 238 guests were staying at the hotel when the fire started on the restaurant floor around 3:30 a.m. Many survivors managed to escape the fire by jumping through the windows and fleeing through smoke-filled corridors.
The hotel management and authorities are facing criticism over a lack of safety measures within the premises. Survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident
Many families from Ankara and Istanbul had traveled to the Bolu mountains for skiing during the peak of the winter tourism season when the incident occurred.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday following the tragedy. The government had appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the blaze.
