At least seventy-six people died in the fire that destroyed the upper floors of their hotel overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in the Kartalkaya ski resort. The disaster also left 51 injured, according to a recent report from the Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a day of national mourning would take place this Wednesday. More than 230 guests were in the hotel, with the fire taking place in the middle of the national winter holidays.
Work to identify the victims continues at the hospital in Bolu, the capital of the region, while the final searches are being carried out this morning by teams from AFAD, the Turkish relief agency.
No smoke detector
The fire, which broke out for an unknown reason, was brought under control on Tuesday morning. Local authorities then feared the collapse of the ten-story building.
Nearly 270 firefighters and rescue workers were mobilized to fight the fire, which first broke out on the upper floors, before quickly spreading to the rest of the building, due to the wooden cladding.
-Witnesses and media on site also denounced the absence of an alarm and smoke detector. The Minister of Justice has opened an investigation. Recep Tayyip Erdogan also assured that “everything would be done to shed light on all aspects of the tragedy and to hold those responsible to account,” according to AFP. This morning, Euro News announced that nine people had been taken into custody following the fire, including the hotel owner.
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