66 killed in Turkey ski resort blaze

Highlights

Istanbul: A fire at a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 66 people and left 51 others injured, Interior...

Istanbul: A fire at a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 66 people and left 51 others injured, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya said after inspecting the scene at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu province. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu reported that at least one of the injured is in a critical condition.

The blaze, which broke out around 3:30 am (0030 GMT), started on the restaurant floor of the 11-storey Grand Kartal Hotel, according to authorities. However, the cause of the blaze is under investigation, officials said. Governor Abdulaziz Aydın revealed that two victims died after jumping from the building in panic. Some guests attempted to escape by tying sheets and blankets together, according to private NTV television.

Fire engines surrounded the scorched building, with white bed sheets tied together hanging from an upper-floor window where guests had tried to escape.