Waitress dies from Turkish ski resort blaze, one of 78 lives lost as concerns over safety revive A waitress who was in serious condition after jumping out of a burning hotel at a popular ski resort has succumbed to her injuries, officials and reports said Thursday, becoming the latest victim of tragedy that has shocked the nation and revived concerns over lax safety regulations in the country.
Turkish officials early on Thursday revised the number of deaths from Tuesday’s blaze at the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in northwestern Bolu province, from 79 to 78, including Sevval Sahin.
Bolu Mayor Tanju Ozcan has claimed that hotels in Kartalkaya are outside his municipality’s jurisdiction and that the hotel’s last fire department certificate dated back to 2007.
Authorities have detained 11 people for questioning, including the hotel’s owner, Bolu’s deputy mayor and the acting fire department chief.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has stated that the hotel had been inspected in 2021 and 2014, and had a fire safety certificate.
