Kartalkaya, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 22nd Jan, 2025) A huge fire ripped through a luxury hotel in a popular ski resort in northern Turkey before dawn on Tuesday, killing 76 people and injuring 51 others.
Some survivors said no fire alarms went off nor were there any fire escapes at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya which lies 170 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of Ankara.
Here is what we know:
– What happened? –
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the fire started around 3:27 am (0027 GMT) inside the luxury 12-storey hotel, which is perched on a mountaintop in Kartalkaya, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the northwestern town of Bolu.
It was not clear what sparked the blaze but unconfirmed press reports said it began in the fourth-floor restaurant.
Several survivors and witnesses reported smelling smoke and seeing flames as early as 2:30 am, with some saying there was a delay of at least “an hour” before the firefighters arrived.
The minister said “156 fire engines and 428 firefighters” were at the scene within 45 minutes.
– Who was affected? –
Yerlikaya said 76 people died and another 51 were injured. By Tuesday afternoon, 17 had been discharged, leaving 34 in hospital, one in intensive care
It was peak season for the hotel which had 238 guests staying, the minister said.
Many were there for the two-week winter break which began on Friday, the hotel advertising a double room for around 30,000 Turkish lira ($850) full board.
By Tuesday night, 56 of the victims had been identified and 45 bodies returned to their families.
Among the victims were 14 members of the same family, the Turkish media reported on Wednesday.
– What about the investigation? –
In a statement, the Grand Kartal Hotel said it had family members staying there and was “very badly shaken by the tragedy”.
It said it was cooperating with the investigation which began Tuesday.
Yerlikaya said nine people were arrested, including the hotel’s owner.
Six prosecutors are looking into what caused of the fire, any possible negligence and who was responsible.
– What have survivors said? –
Several guests who managed to escape told Turkish media there were no alarms, no smoke detectors and no fire escapes.
Witnesses reported seeing trapped guests screaming for help from the upper floors or climbing out of windows using bedsheets as a rope to escape the flames.
But Tourism Minister Nuri Ersoy said the hotel had two fire escapes and had passed inspections “in 2021 and 2024”.
“No issues related to fire safety had been flagged by the fire department,” he said on Tuesday.
The pro-government Hurriyet newspaper however pointed to negligence.
“It was not the fire but the negligence which was responsible for so many deaths,” it said.
