The death toll from a fire that broke out at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey has risen to 66 people dead and 51 injured.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the fire broke out overnight in the hotel restaurant in the Kartalkaya resort in Bolu province.
"Tragically, the total death toll following the incident has risen to 66. Our pain is great," said Yerlikaya from the Kartalkaya resort.
According to the governor of Bolu, flames first appeared on the fourth floor of the 11-story hotel at around 3:30 a.m.
Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel in flames, with people trying to get out of their rooms using sheets to escape the fire.
Others jumped from hotel windows in a desperate attempt to escape the flames.
Turkish authorities arrested four suspects, including the hotel owner, on Tuesday. “As part of an investigation led by six prosecutors, four people including the hotel owner were arrested,” Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said in X.
The resort that was engulfed in flames is located atop a mountain range about 170 kilometers northwest of the capital Ankara. Part of the hotel rests on a cliff, which made it more difficult for firefighters to put out the flames.
At the time of the blaze, 237 people were staying at the hotel, according to local reports. About 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the scene. (A2 Televizion)
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