The number of fatalities in the fire at Turkey’s Kartalkaya ski resort has increased to 66
A devastating fire at a Turkish ski resort hotel has resulted in the tragic loss of at least 66 lives and left 51 individuals injured, according to Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya.
The origin of the fire remains under investigation, though initial reports from local media indicate that the wooden cladding on the hotel’s exterior could have contributed to its rapid expansion, as reported by Euronews.
A devastating fire engulfed a ski resort hotel in Turkey, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 66 lives and leaving 51 others injured, according to a statement from Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya.
Yerlikaya announced to reporters following a site inspection that the devastating hotel fire has tragically claimed 66 lives, leaving the community in profound grief.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu has reported that at least one individual is in serious condition among those injured.
Earlier on Tuesday, Yerlikaya reported that a fire erupted overnight in the restaurant of a hotel located in Kartalkaya, situated in the northwest region of the country.
The governor of Bolu province, in which the resort is situated, informed the state-run Anadolu news agency that two of the victims lost their lives after leaping from the building in a state of panic.
Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydın reported that there were 234 guests present in the hotel during the incident.
According to a report by private broadcaster NTV, some individuals attempted to evacuate their rooms by descending with bed sheets. Television footage captured scenes of the hotel’s roof and upper floors engulfed in flames.
The exact cause of the blaze remains undetermined, though NTV has reported that the wooden cladding on the hotel’s exterior might have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Kartalkaya, a renowned ski resort situated in the Köroğlu Mountains approximately 300 kilometers east of Istanbul, recently experienced a fire outbreak. The incident took place during the peak of the school winter break, a period when the local hotels are typically bustling with guests.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, a fleet of 30 fire trucks along with 28 ambulances has been dispatched to the location.
As a precautionary measure, other hotels within the resort complex were evacuated.
