[Image: Times of India / Facebook]
A fire roared through a 12-storey ski resort hotel in Turkey early Tuesday, killing at least 76 people, including at least two who died jumping from the structure to avoid the flames.
Nine people, including the hotel’s owner, were detained for questioning as an investigation began into the blaze at the wooden-clad Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, about 300km east of Istanbul. It took 12 hours for the fire to be put out.
Health minister Kemal Memisoglu said that of the 51 injured people, one was receiving treatment in intensive care, and 17 people had been discharged.
“There was no-one around. They were calling for firefighters. They were breaking the windows. Some could no longer stand the smoke and flames, and they jumped.”
The hotel was investigating whether guests, including children, were trapped in their rooms as the fire spread. The hotel had two fire escapes, according to the interior minister, and one hotel worker said they had managed to rescue 30-35 people.
“It was awful. We were terrified. People were screaming. The cries of children especially affected us. We wanted to help but there was nothing we could do. I couldn’t look, it was so terrifying.”
The origin of the fire has yet to be determined, but Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin said preliminary indications showed it started in the restaurant part of the hotel’s fourth level and spread to the floors above.
According to Aydin, the distance between the hotel in Kartalkaya and the city of Bolu, along with the frigid weather, resulted in fire engines only arriving after more than an hour.
Emergency services dispatched 267 people to the scene.