Turkey arrests nine after 76 killed in horror ski hotel fire
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Survivors have described scenes of panic as they tried to escape through smoke-filled corridors. The bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests were being conducted to identify the remaining bodies at the forensic institute, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Wednesday morning.
![[Tightened bed sheets hand from a window of the hotel]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/10/09/Turkey-ski-hotel-fire-3ck6lszh.jpeg)
The fire started about 3.30am on Tuesday on the restaurant level of the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains. The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed. There were 238 registered guests at the hotel, of whom 51 were injured, one of them critically.
![[Firefighters and emergency services work in the aftermath of the fire]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/09/2194621441.jpg)
Survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape. Authorities are facing growing criticism over the hotel’s safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.
![[The aftermath of the fire]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/21/17/newFile-2.jpg)
“My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” said Atakan Yelkovan, a guest staying on the third floor. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here [outside].”. He said it took about an hour for firefighters to arrive. “People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... Some tried to jump,” he said.
