Turkey: Anger and Mourning After 76 Vacationers Die in Mountain Hotel Fire

Anger is rising in Turkey and at the Kartalkaya ski resort following a fire in a luxury hotel that reportedly lacked safety systems, resulting in at least 76 deaths, according to the latest available toll.

According to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who also mentioned 51 injuries, identification efforts were ongoing at Bolu Hospital, the regional capital where the victims were transported.

In response to this tragedy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday.

The fire broke out for an unknown reason in the middle of the night at 3:27 AM (00:27 GMT) at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a twelve-story establishment located over 2,000 meters above sea level, which was hosting 238 guests during Turkey’s winter holidays.

Witnesses recounted harrowing scenes. “People were screaming; they hung sheets to try to escape. Some jumped out of windows, but others had children and friends… There was no emergency exit,” denounced Atakan Yelkovan, a thirty-something who was staying on the third floor with his wife and managed to escape quickly.

“There were no firefighters nearby. It took about an hour to an hour and a half for them to arrive,” he told Turkish agency IHA.

The fire started on the upper floors and quickly spread throughout the building due to wooden exterior cladding, leaving little escape routes for sleeping vacationers.

A video from IHA showed guests at windows during the night calling for help: “Where are the firefighters? Help us!”

As massive flames engulfed the building, hotel staff assisted in evacuating guests. “I saw a father with his baby in his arms asking for pillows to throw his son out; fortunately, he waited for help that saved them. But on the top floor, two women jumped to their deaths before my eyes,” he reported in shock to IHA.

“People were calling for help; they asked for blankets to be able to escape through the windows,” testified Baris Salgur, an employee of a nearby hotel. “We brought them whatever we could find—ropes, pillows, and even a sofa… When the flames approached them, some jumped into the void.”

According to private television channel NTV, at least three people died after jumping from windows.

The fire began on the upper floors and quickly spread throughout the rest of the building due to wooden cladding on the exterior. Media reports showed large flames escaping from upper windows and the roof, as well as plumes of black smoke.

Drone footage revealed extensive damage to the roof and upper floors of the hotel, situated atop a cliff for panoramic views, complicating intervention efforts by 428 firefighters who mobilized and arrived at 4:15 AM, noted the Interior Minister, who visited the site with several government members.

He promised that “all measures will be taken if the investigation shows negligence or wrongdoing.”

The Justice Minister announced that an investigation has been entrusted to “six prosecutors,” supported by a committee of experts.

On Tuesday evening, families gathered outside Bolu Hospital, where the morgue was receiving victims’ bodies alongside nineteen injured individuals, one of whom is in critical condition.

In front of his party AKP gathered for a congress meeting, President Erdogan also assured that “everything will be done to shed light on all aspects of this tragedy and hold those responsible accountable.”

Many countries, including Germany, neighboring Greece, Ukraine, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, EU officials, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have extended their condolences and expressed solidarity following this tragedy.

About محمد الفاسي