He fire happened this morning in a 12-story hotel in a ski resort northwest of Türkiye has already been charged more than half a hundred fatalities, in addition to causing about 50 injuries, as confirmed this Tuesday by the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.
Interior Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that four people have been arrested in connection with this tragedy and the NTV station indicates that among those arrested is the owner of the establishment, located in the Kartalkaya ski resort, halfway between Istanbul and Ankara.
Tanju Ozcan, mayor of Bolu, the provincial capital, increased by three the number of 66 deaths that the Ministry of the Interior had previously provided.
Ozcan told local media that the hotel’s operating permit does not fall within local jurisdiction and depends on the Ministry of Tourism.
Opened in 1998
The Grand Kartal hotel, built entirely of wood, was opened in 1998 as one of the first establishments of its kind in the Kartalkaya ski resort. The fire started around 3:30 a.m. local time. The flames were put out after about ten hours of work by firefighters.
90% of the 161 rooms were occupied, because these days are the winter school holidays in Türkiye, reports the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. The wooden construction and the location of the hotel at the foot of a ski slope, which only allows vehicle access from the front façade, made it difficult for firefighters to intervene, the Turkish newspaper explained.
According to the NTV television network, about 300 people, including employees, were in the hotel at the time of the fire, the cause of which is still unknown. Rescue teams are still trying to locate more possible victims. The judicial authorities have established an information veto on the fire to prevent the distribution of false news that hinders the investigation and to protect the families of the victims.
