A fire at a hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday killed at least 66 people, Turkey’s Interior Minister said. Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured in the disaster. “We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.
The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant section before rapidly spreading around the building.
The hotel had 248 registered guests at the time of the fire, which was reported at 3:27 am local time (1:27 am CET). The fire department says it began to respond to the crisis at 4:15 am local time.
Yerlikaya says 45 of the 76 people confirmed dead have been identified, while efforts to identify the remaining victims were continuing. The bodies of those identified were delivered to their families.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition. The fire broke out at around 3:30 am in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, officials and reports said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
“Our hearts are broke. We are in mourning,” said Yerlikaya to reporters outside the hotel. “You should know that whoever is responsible for causing this pain will not escape justice,” he added.
Nine people have been detained as part of an investigation into the fire. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the hotel owner was among those detained for questioning in the probe.
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