Olympic skier Birkin Usta and his father were killed in a fire at a ski resort closed to the Turkish public on Thursday morning.
The 25-year-old USTA represented Türkiye at the 2022 Olympics.
His father, Yahiya Usta, was president of the Turkish Association of Ski and Snowboard Teachers.
“I learned with deep sadness that our national athlete Belkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta lost their lives in the fire that erupted in the hotel,” according to the Associated Press, Sports Minister Osman Askin Buck said.
USTAS, including Birkin's mother, remained at the second highest level of a hotel on the sixth floor at the time of the flames.
Birkin's mother survived.
The Kervansalei Hotel, located at the top of a popular ski destination about three hours away from Istanbul, guests were empty when the fire began at 5:30am
However, 12 staff members were present, the Bursa Governor's Office said.
It is not clear why USTA was staying at the hotel or whether it was part of the staff since the family was closed.
Several people were hospitalized due to inhalation of the smoke, the local government told the Associated Press.
The fire began at the cafeteria at 5:30am, government officials said.
The state-run Anadoru agency later reported that the hotel manager was detained.
The hotel closed in January when the accommodation was cancelled.
Firefighters reportedly had control of the flames within two hours, but at that point the upper floors had been severely damaged.
“We conducted an inspection of this hotel in January. We identified the defects and shared them with the relevant agencies,” Bursa Mustafa Bozbey said according to TMZ. “We've heard that the hotel has been closed. We're investigating why there are 12 people. If this is negligence, we have to clarify.”
Another Turkish ski resort, Grand Kartal Hotel, started a fire earlier this year, killing 79 people.
