At least 10 killed in ski resort fire in Türkiye

A hotel fire in a ski resort in northwestern Turkiye has killed at least 10 people, officials announced, Al-Jazeera reported.

The blaze broke out overnight in the restaurant of the hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said. A further 32 people have been hospitalized with injuries, he added.

“Two-hundred and sixty-seven personnel from various public institutions and organisations responded to the fire and the response is ongoing,” he wrote on X.

Speaking to Turkish news outlet TRT, Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said the fire began on the fourth floor of the 11-storey hotel at about 3:30am (00:30 GMT). Hours later, firefighters were still working to put it out.

#Fire in a hotel at a #skiresort in northwestern #Turkey kills at least 10 people#Bolu #Kartalkaya #Turkiye pic.twitter.com/o4XfyHQBPO

— Kazinform (@kazinform_eng) January 21, 2025

The cause of the fire will be investigated by authorities, he added, noting that it broke out on the restaurant floor.

Two of the victims died after jumping out of the building in a panic, Aydin told the state-run Anadolu news agency. There were 234 guests staying at the hotel, he said.

Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire.

Kartalkaya is one of Türkiye’s premier winter tourism destinations, attracting thousands of visitors during the ski season. The resort lies about 295 kilometres (183 miles) east of Istanbul.

Earlier, it was reported that insurance company payments due to wildfires in Los Angeles may exceed $20 billion. Experts are sounding the alarm about the impending crisis in the insurance industry. Read more in an article by a Kazinform correspondent.