At least 76 people have been killed in a fire that ripped through a hotel at a popular Turkish ski resort, leaving some to jump out of windows.
The fire broke out at clad in wood 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.
An initial death toll of 10 was considerably increased in the hours following the fire by the Turkish Interior Ministry. At least two people died after trying to reach safety.
It took 12 hours to put out the fire. Nine people were arrested, including the owner, said the Minister of Justice.
Getty ImagesThe identities of the 76 people have not yet been confirmed, but those released so far include Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer from the Fenerbahce sports club in Istanbul, and her mother Ferda.
The club said it learned the news with “deep sadness” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
Eslem Uyanik, a young chef at the hotel, died along with Ceren Yaman Dogan, the daughter of a well-known local businessman, and her 17-year-old daughter Lalin.
Sozcu newspaper writer Nedim Turkmen, his wife Ayse Neva and their two children aged 18 and 22 were also named, as well as Professor Atakan Yalcin, who was dean of the business school at Ozyegin University.
Dilara Ermanoglu, 24, was among the victims and her father, who went looking for her in Bolu, was treated by health workers for a heart attack.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said that of the 51 people injured, one was being treated in intensive care and 17 people had been released.
Images circulating in Türkiye showed laundry hanging from windows and used by those trying to escape the burning building.
Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told the BBC he was on the second floor of the hotel when the fire broke out and managed to escape through the ski storage room. He later contributed to relief efforts.
Eyewitnesses said the family that owns the hotel was present at the time of the fire and Mr Kepcetutan said he saw family members outside.
The cause of the fire has not yet been found, but Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial information suggested it broke out in the fourth-floor restaurant section of the hotel and s It was spread to the upper floors.
Aydin said the distance between the hotel, in Kartalkaya, and the center of Bolu, coupled with the freezing weather conditions, meant it took more than an hour for fire trucks to arrive. Emergency services sent 267 workers to the scene.
The hotel was investigating whether guests, including children, were trapped in their rooms when the fire spread.
The hotel had two emergency exits, according to the interior minister, and a hotel employee said they managed to rescue 30 to 35 people.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the fire.
The hotel was last inspected in 2024 and the Tourism Minister said there had been no concerns about the hotel’s fire safety before Tuesday’s disaster.
However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguishing system is necessary.
“In the photos published on the hotel’s website, we see that the automatic watering system, which was to be installed in 2008, has not been installed,” the union said in a statement.
He added that it was not clear whether other regulations had been complied with, but based on the survivors’ statements, “it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and that the Evacuation routes could not be determined.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said those responsible for the negligence leading to the fire “will be held accountable.”
A national day of mourning has been declared and the Turkish flag will be flown at half-mast on Wednesday until sunset, it added in a statement on X.
The Bolu Mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the Turkish capital Ankara, about 170 km (105 miles) away, and the hotel was operating at full capacity at the start of the two-week school holiday.
Former UK Ambassador to Turkey Sir Peter Westmacott told the BBC he had visited the area in the past and the fire “felt very personal”.
“The fact that so many people have lost their lives is devastating news for those of us who care about Turkey,” he said.
