Turkey arrests nine after 76 killed in horror ski hotel fire
Survivors have described scenes of panic as they tried to escape through smoke-filled corridors
Turkey has arrested nine people, including the owner of the hotel, following a deadly fire that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in western Turkey.
The bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests were being conducted to identify the remaining bodies at the forensic institute, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Wednesday morning.
The fire started about 3.30am on Tuesday on the restaurant level of the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains.
The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed. There were 238 registered guests at the hotel, of whom 51 were injured, one of them critically.
Survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape.
Authorities are facing growing criticism over the hotel’s safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.
“My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” said Atakan Yelkovan, a guest staying on the third floor. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here [outside].”
He said it took about an hour for firefighters to arrive. “People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... Some tried to jump,” he said.
“They tried to climb down using bedsheets. The bedsheets ripped as one friend tried ... and he unfortunately fell on his head. One father was yelling about his one year-old child: ‘I will throw my child or he will burn’.”
The government appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the fire. NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.
Tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that "no negative situation regarding fire competence" was reported by the fire department.
The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
"We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident," the statement said. "We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts."
President Tayyip Erdogan declared a day of national mourning following the tragedy.