Hotel fire at popular ski resort in Turkey kills at least 66 people, interior minister says
by 0 
by 0 
A fire at a hotel in a popular ski resort in Turkey has killed at least 66 people, the country’s interior minister has said.
Ali Yerlikaya added that at least 51 other people were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains in northwest Turkey, around 185 miles (300km) east of Istanbul.
The health minister said at least one of the injured was in serious condition and 17 others had been discharged from hospital after being treated.
Pic: Reuters
At least two of the victims died after jumping from the building in panic, Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu media agency, adding that 234 guests were staying at the 12-storey, 161-room hotel.
Other reports said some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.
Pictures showed several fire engines surrounding the charred building, and white bed sheets tied together could be seen hanging from one upper-floor window.
Television pictures showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire and witnesses said the hotel’s fire detection system failed after the fire broke out at around 3.30am in the restaurant.
Third-floor guest Atakan Yelkovan told the IHA news agency his wife smelled burning but “the alarm did not go off.
“We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here [outside],” he said.
Yelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive.
“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets … some tried to jump,” he said.
Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan said he was asleep when the fire began and, after rushing outside, he helped some 20 guests escape.
He said the hotel was engulfed in smoke and admitted he couldn’t get to some of his students.
“I hope they are OK,” he said.
Mr Aydin’s office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site. Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in hotels around Bolu.
A team of six government-appointed prosecutors is investigating how the fire started.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
