In brief
A devastating fire at a ski resort hotel in Turkey has resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, prompting an urgent investigation as families sought winter getaways.
A tragic fire erupted early Tuesday morning at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort located in Bolu Province, Turkey, killing at least 10 individuals and injuring 32 others, according to local authorities. The incident occurred during a busy school break, a prime time for families visiting popular ski destinations.Witness accounts describe the chaos that unfolded around 3:30 a.m. local time, when many guests were asleep as flames quickly took over. Eyewitness videos captured smoke engulfing the building against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. Customers, desperate to escape, resorted to tying bedsheets together to create a makeshift rope to lower themselves to safety.Necmi Kepcetutan, a skiing instructor who also worked at the hotel, recounted the harrowing moments of the fire, noting, “When I left my room I saw the flames at the fourth floor, the floor of the restaurant... We helped around a dozen or more people to evacuate." Unfortunately, he was unable to reach some guests caught in the thick smoke. “People were screaming to be rescued,” he conveyed to NTV, highlighting the tension and urgency of the situation.The cause of the fire remains under investigation as authorities deploy multiple rescuers and fire trucks from nearby towns to assist in the aftermath.
