Turkey ski resort fire: 9 detained; death toll rises to 76
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Fire engulfed a ski resort in Turkey | Photo: X/@nexta_tv
Ankara: Nine people, including the hotel owner, have been detained following a devastating fire at Turkey’s Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Bolu province that claimed 76 lives, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed on Tuesday.
The fire broke out at 03:27 local time in the 12-storey wooden hotel, which was housing 238 guests during the busy holiday season. Initial investigations suggest the fire started in the fourth-floor restaurant area before rapidly spreading upward, according to Bolu Provincial Governor Abdulaziz Aydin.
Search and rescue operations have now been completed, and authorities are continuing their investigations. “Unfortunately, the number of lives lost has increased to 76. Our teams have finalised their search efforts,” Yerlikaya stated.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a national day of mourning to honor the victims. “A one-day national mourning has been declared across the country tomorrow,” he said, offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Erdogan also promised that those responsible for the disaster would face legal accountability. “Those who caused such a disaster, who have negligence or fault, will be held accountable before the law,” he added.
Of the wounded, 17 have been discharged from the hospital, while one remains in intensive care.
The fire prompted immediate response from emergency services, with fire crews, search-and-rescue units, and medical teams dispatched from the city center, surrounding districts, and nearby areas. Authorities successfully evacuated around 230 guests from the hotel during firefighting operations.
A judicial investigation has been initiated by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with six public prosecutors and a five-person expert committee involved in the inquiry.
Kartalkaya, a renowned ski resort in the Koroglu mountains, is about 300 kilometers east of Istanbul. The resort has been a popular destination for Turkish skiers since 1978, offering direct access to 23 slopes.
Bolu is located at the crossroads between Istanbul and Ankara, approximately 180 kilometers from both cities. The resort hotel sits atop the Koroglu Mountains, covering an area of 60,000 square meters.
With IANS inputs