At least 66 people died and 51 were injured when their hotel, apparently without an alarm system, caught fire in the middle of the night on Tuesday in a ski resort in central Turkey. Four people have been arrested.
The death toll was announced in the afternoon by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who visited the site. According to the Minister, "the fire is now under control and cooling operations" are continuing.
The fire broke out at 03:27, he confirmed, adding that 238 guests were registered at the time at the twelve-storey Grand Kartal luxury hotel in Kartalkaya, a ski resort 170 kilometres east of Ankara.
The flames quickly spread to the rest of the building due to the exterior wooden cladding, Turkish media reported, whose images showed large flames escaping from the upper windows and roof, as well as plumes of black smoke.
The drone footage showed damage to the roof and upper floors of the building, which was set up on a cliff top for a panoramic view, complicating the work of the 428 firefighters who arrived on the scene at 04:15, said the Interior Minister.
The cause of the disaster is not yet known, but there is already controversy and anger among the survivors, who are denouncing negligence.
Hotel employees helped evacuate guests, but witnesses and the media on the scene denounced the absence of alarms and smoke detectors.
"No alarms went off, no smoke detectors or fire escapes, even though there was smoke all the way up to the tenth floor," complained a tearful 50-year-old man, who had been staying with his family in the hotel since Sunday.
"People were calling for help, asking for blankets so they could get out through the windows," testified Baris Salgur, an employee at a nearby hotel. "We brought them what we could find, ropes, pillows, even a sofa... When the flames approached them, some threw themselves into the void."
According to the private television channel NTV, at least three people died jumping out of the windows.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, who also visited the scene, announced the opening of an investigation entrusted to “six prosecutors” and the formation of a committee of experts to support them.
Yerlikaya promised that "all measures will be taken if the investigation shows negligence or misconduct." Addressing his AKP party congress, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also pledged that "everything will be done to shed light on all aspects of the tragedy and to hold those responsible to account."
In the meantime, four people have been arrested. Among others, the owner has been detained for questioning.
