At least sixty-six people died and 51 were injured in a fire at their hotel apparently without an alarm system, which occurred in the middle of the night on Tuesday in a ski resort in central Turkey.
The grim toll was announced in the afternoon by the Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, who visited the site.
“The fire is now under control”
According to the minister, “the fire is now under control and cooling operations” continue.
The fire broke outat 3:27 a.m. (00:27 GMT)“, he confirmed, adding that 238 guests were registered at the twelve-story luxury establishment, the Grand Kartal, located in Kartalkaya, a ski resort 170 km east of Ankara.
The flames quickly spread to the rest of the building due to the exterior wooden cladding, reported Turkish media whose images showed large flames escaping from upper windows and the roof, as well as plumes of black smoke.
The images taken by drone bear witness to the devastation in the roof and in the upper floors of the establishment, installed at the top of a cliff to have a panoramic view, which complicated the intervention of the 428 firefighters mobilized and arrived on the scene at 4:15 a.m., said the Minister of the Interior.
The cause of the disaster is not yet known but already controversy and anger are growing among survivors who denounce negligence.
No alarm or emergency staircase
Hotel employees helped evacuate guests, but witnesses and media on site denounce the absence of alarms and smoke detectors.
-“No alarm went off, no smoke detector or fire escape even though there was smoke up to the tenth floor“, denounced on television a crying fifty-year-old, who had been with his family since Sunday in the establishment.
“People were calling for help, asking for blankets so they could get out through the windows“, testified Baris Salgur, employee of a nearby hotel.
“We brought them what we found, ropes, pillows, and even a sofa… When the flames approached them, some threw themselves into the void“.
According to the private television channel NTV, at least three people died jumping out of windows.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, who also visited the site, announced the opening of an investigation entrusted to “six prosecutors” and the formation of a committee of experts to support them.
M. Yerlikaya a promis que “all measures will be taken if the investigation shows that there was negligence or faults were committed“.
In front of his AKP party, meeting in congress, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also assured that “everything will be done to shed light on all aspects of the tragedy and to hold those responsible to account“.
