Scores killed in hotel fire at ski resort in central Turkey

At least 76 people have been killed and 51 injured in a fire at a ski resort in central Turkey with survivors blaming the tragedy on negligence.
The fire at a hotel in Kartalkaya, which apparently had no alarm system, broke out in the middle of the night on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who visited the scene, said "the fire is now under control and cooling operations" are continuing.
According to authorities, 238 guests were registered in the 12-storey luxury establishment, the Grand Kartal, located in Kartalkaya, 170km east of the capital Ankara.
Turkish media said the flames quickly spread to the rest of the building due to the wooden exterior cladding, with images showing large flames and black smoke escaping from the upper windows and roof. The hotel reportedly had two fire exits and stairs.
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A Turkish official told Middle East Eye that the hotel was inspected in 2021 and 2024 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and no deficiencies were found in those inspections.
Authorities at the time said the hotel had the necessary paperwork that indicated preparedness for fire incidents.
They said there was no information about when the fire department last inspected the hotel, however.
According to the available information, the fire department last conducted an inspection here in 2007.
A number of staff and guests have already blamed negligence for the fire.
"No alarm went off, no smoke detectors or fire escapes, even though there was smoke up to the tenth floor," a 50-year-old, who had been with his family at the hotel since Sunday, told Turkish TV.
Baris Salgur, an employee at a nearby hotel also told local media that "people were calling for help, asking for blankets so they could get out through the windows.
"We brought them what we could find, ropes, pillows, and even a sofa... When the flames got close to them, some of them jumped into the void," he said.
According to the private television channel NTV, at least three people died after jumping out of the windows.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced the opening of an investigation and the formation of a committee of experts to support prosecutors.
Tanju Ozcan, Mayor of Bolu province where the resort is located, said the government and the tourism ministry was responsible for the disaster.
"The Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy is personally responsible for this incident. He has the audacity to accuse our municipality in a despicable way [through the fire department]," he said in a public statement.
"The Ministry of Tourism is the authority here. We are forced to respond to the slander of the incompetent Minister."
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