A fire broke out at a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey's Bor Mountains, killing 76 people and injuring 51, prompting guests to jump out of windows or try to escape from the building using bed sheets.
The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel in the resort town of Kartalkaya in Turkey's northwestern Bor province.
“We feel deep pain,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Erikaya told reporters after visiting the site. “But whoever is responsible for causing this pain should know that they will not escape justice.”
Yelikaya said at least 51 other people were injured and 45 of the 76 people killed had been identified. Efforts are continuing to identify the other victims, he said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in critical condition and 17 others had been discharged from hospital.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday. He said all flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad would be lowered to half-mast.
In an earlier speech from Ankara, President Erdoğan said: “Unfortunately, this morning we received very sad news from Bor, Kartalkaya. Our brothers and sisters were killed or injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel.
“We will take all necessary measures to clarify all aspects of the incident and hold those responsible accountable.”
The government has appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the fire. Yelikaya said nine people were detained as part of the investigation. Earlier, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunku said the hotel owner was among those detained for questioning.
Yerlikaya said the cliff-side 161-room hotel had 238 guests. Bor Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told state-run Anadolu Agency that two of the victims died after panicking and jumping from the building.
Television footage showed the roof and top floor of the hotel on fire.
“It was like the apocalypse. The flames quickly engulfed the hotel in about 30 minutes,” Mevlut Ozer, who witnessed the incident, told Reuters.
Several fire engines and ambulances surrounded the building with its charred wooden facade, and white bedsheets were tied and hung from at least three windows on the upper floors where people had tried to escape. Firefighting efforts continued for about 10 hours.
Omer Sakrak, another witness and employee of a nearby hotel, said: “People all panicked and started jumping up. One of my friends jumped from the 11th floor – God. May you have mercy.”
Sakrak described how others tried to get off using bed sheets: “When one of my friends tried it, the bed sheet tore…and unfortunately he fell on his head,” he said. “One father was yelling at his one-year-old child, saying, “I'm going to throw you or you're going to burn me.''
Other hotel guests told Turkish TV that they fled through smoke-filled hallways but did not hear any alarms.
“My wife smelled a burning smell. There was no alarm,” Atakan Yerkovan, a guest staying on the third floor of the hotel, told the IHA news agency.
“We tried to go upstairs but couldn't go because of the flames. We went downstairs and came here. [outside]” he said.
Nekmi Kepsetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire broke out and rushed out of the building. About 20 guests were then rescued from the hotel, he told NTV.
Other hotels in the resort were also evacuated as a precaution, and guests were evacuated to hotels around Bol.
Kartalkaya is located in the Koloğlu Mountains, about 300 km (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the school holidays, when area hotels are busy. Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the Grand Kartal Hotel passed a fire safety inspection last year.
Meanwhile, a gas explosion also occurred at a hotel at another ski resort in central Turkey, injuring four people.
The explosion occurred at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas region. Two skiers and their instructor suffered minor injuries, and another instructor suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face, the Sivas governor's office said.