Fire in Turkey ski resort kills 66, injures 51

Ankara: A hotel fire in Turkey's northwest Bolu province on Tuesday has claimed at least 66 lives and injured more than 51 others. Local authorities said the fire started on the restaurant floor of a hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort after midnight.

Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin stated that fatalities also resulted from individuals jumping from the building in panic.

He mentioned that the cause of the fire, that broke out around 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT), remains unclear and the flames rapidly engulfed the hotel situated at the summit of the Koroglu Mountains.

Upon receiving the alert, fire crews, search-and-rescue units and medical teams were dispatched from the city centre, surrounding districts, and nearby areas.

Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported that authorities evacuated around 230 guests from the hotel as firefighting efforts continued.

"Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said a judicial investigation was initiated by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, with six public prosecutors assigned, and a five-person expert committee formed," the report detailed.

Kartalkaya in the province of Bolu is one of Turkey's premier winter tourism destinations, attracting thousands of visitors during the ski season.

The hotel's website mentions it as one of the top destinations for Turkish Skiers since 1978. The resort enables direct access to 23 slopes with a total length of 20km belonging to the hotel.

Bolu is a city in northern Turkey, and the administrative centre of the Bolu Province and Bolu District, located on the highway between Istanbul and Ankara.

Located at the top of the Koroglu Mountains, 38 km from Bolu city centre, 180 km from Ankara and Istanbul, the ski and mountain hotel is spread over an area of 60,000 square metres.

With inputs from IANS