Tragic hotel fire in Türkiye
A fire at a ski resort hotel in the mountains of Türkiye's Bolu province has ki.lle.d 76 people.
Turkish authorities said the fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. local time on January 21 at the 11-story Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort. Reuters quoted Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu as saying that about 51 people were injured, while the fire killed at least 66 people.
Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene to put out the fire. At the time of the fire, local media reported that someone unfortunately died after trying to jump from a hotel window to escape the fire. At least 230 people were at the hotel at the time of the fire.
Aerial footage shows horrific fire that k.ill.ed 76 people at Turkish resort hotel
The fire is believed to have started in the restaurant area inside the hotel and spread rapidly, according to AFP. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
A survivor said the fire alarm was not working at the time of the fire, criticizing the hotel for lacking safety measures such as emergency stairs or smoke detectors. Some images showed the hotel's bedsheets hanging from the window frames, connected together, as if someone had tied the sheets together like a rope to escape through the window.
Fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Türkiye in the early morning of January 21.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the vi.ctims of the tragedy, saying an investigation had been launched. Evacuees have been moved to other hotels.
The Kartalkaya ski resort is one of Turkey's most popular winter destinations, attracting thousands of skiers and holidaymakers.
The hotel that caught fire is located in a resort popular with winter vacationers, especially during the school holidays that last from January to the first week of February. The fire broke out during the school holidays, when people from Istanbul and Ankara travel to the Bolu mountains for skiing.
The hotel on fire is located in Bolu province, Türkiye (Photo: CBC).
