Dozens of people died when a hotel was engulfed in flames at the Bolu ski resort

At least 76 people have died in a fire that engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Türkiye, forcing some to jump out of windows.

The fire occurred at wood covered The 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during the busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.

The initial toll of 10 deaths rose significantly in the hours after the Turkish Interior Ministry fire. At least two people died after trying to jump to safety.

It took 12 hours for the fire to be extinguished. The Attorney General said nine people were arrested, including the owner.

The identities of all 76 people are yet to be confirmed, but among those announced so far are Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer with Fenerbahce Sports Club in Istanbul, and her mother Ferda.

The club said it heard the news with “deep sadness” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

Eslem Uyanik, a young hotel chef, died along with Ceren Yaman Dogan, the daughter of a famous local businessman, and his 17-year-old daughter Lalin.

Nedim Turkmen, a writer for the Sozcu newspaper, his wife Ayse Neva and their two children, aged 18 and 22, were also named, along with Professor Atakan Yalcin, dean of Ozyegin University School of Business.

Dilara Ermanoglu, 24, was among the victims, and her father, who had gone to Bolu to find her, was treated by paramedics for a heart attack.

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said of the 51 injured, one was being treated in the intensive care unit and 17 had been discharged.

“Our pain is great,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Footage circulated in Türkiye showed linen hanging from windows being used by people trying to escape the burning building.

Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told the BBC he was on the second floor of the hotel when the fire broke out and managed to escape through the ski room. He later helped in relief efforts.

Witnesses said the hotel owner’s family was there at the time of the fire and Mr. Kepcetutan said he saw some of the family outside.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports showed the fire broke out in the restaurant area on the fourth floor of the hotel and spread to the upper floors.

Aydin said the distance between the hotel in Kartalkaya and central Bolu, combined with cold weather conditions, meant it took more than an hour for fire trucks to arrive. Emergency services sent 267 workers to the scene.

The hotel is investigating whether guests, including children, were trapped in their rooms as the fire spread.

According to the Interior Minister, the hotel had two fire exits and a hotel employee said they rescued 30-35 people.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the fire.

The hotel was last inspected in 2024 and the tourism minister said there were no concerns about the hotel’s fire safety before Tuesday’s disaster.

However, the Union of Turkish Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) believes that according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguishing system is required.

In a statement, the union said: “In photos on the hotel’s website, it is seen that the automatic sprinkler system, which should have been installed in 2008, was not installed.”

They added that it was unclear whether other regulations were followed, but based on the statements of survivors, “it is understood that the detection and warning system was not operational and could not be identified escape route”.

The Bolu Mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the Turkish capital Ankara, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) away, and the hotel is operating at high capacity at the start of the two-year school holiday. week.

Former British ambassador to Türkiye Sir Peter Westmacott told the BBC he had been in the area before and the fire “felt very personal”.

“The fact that so many people have died is just devastating news for those of us who care about Türkiye,” he said.