Istanbul, Türkiye
CNN
—
At least 66 people were killed and 51 injured Tuesday in a fire that ravaged a hotel at a ski resort in northwest Turkey, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
The fire broke out early in the morning around 3:27 a.m. local time at a hotel in the resort town of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, Ali Yerlikaya said.
“We are suffering deeply. We unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out in this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters on Tuesday.
Some desperate vacationers tried to jump out of windows to escape, officials said, as flames licked the upper floors of the property. Images of the aftermath showed wreaths of gray smoke swirling around the charred building.
The resort is a popular destination for holidaymakers in winter, particularly during the school holidays, which run from January to the first week of February. The fire took place during school holidays, Reuters reported, when residents of Istanbul and Ankara went to the Bolu Mountains to ski.
About 234 people were staying at the hotel, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told state-run Anadolu Agency.
Two of the victims died after jumping from the building “in panic,” Aydin said.
According to Yerlikaya, authorities mobilized 267 rescue workers to respond to the fire.
Several videos, some shared on social media and others broadcast by Turkish television channels, showed flames emerging from the upper floors of the hotel. Some people were seen using knotted sheets to try to escape the fire.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
