66 People Killed, 51 Injured in Hotel Fire at Popular Ski Resort: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

At least 66 people died after a fire broke out this week at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey, according to multiple news reports.

The blaze started around 3:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya in the Köroğlu Mountains area, per theAssociated Press.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters, “We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Turkish outletDaily Sabahreported.

The outlet stated that a further 51 people had been injured in the fire. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said that at least one of the injured was in serious condition, confirming that 17 people had been discharged from the hospital so far.

The Grand Kartal Hotel is seen on fire.Mehmet Emin Gurbuz/Anadolu via Getty

Mehmet Emin Gurbuz/Anadolu via Getty

The country’s health ministry said in a translatedInstagrampost that 34 injured people were still being treated in hospitals.

“May God have mercy on the citizens who lost their lives and we send our condolences to their relatives. We wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” the message stated.

The governor of the province where the fire occurred, Abdulaziz Aydin, said the blaze may have broken out in the restaurant on the hotel’s fourth floor, reported theBBC.

A fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the early hours of the morning on Jan. 21, 2025.IHA via AP

IHA via AP

Aydin told reporters that due to the hotel’s location, as well as the freezing weather conditions, it took fire engines over an hour to arrive, per the outlet.

The governor told local media that at least two of the victims had “died after jumping from the building in a panic,” per the AP. He confirmed that there were 234 guests staying at the hotel at the time of the fire, the news agency reported.

Grand Kartal Hotel.SAKARYA FIRE DEPARTMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

SAKARYA FIRE DEPARTMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

In images taken at the location, white bed sheets were seen dangling from windows as guests tried to escape, per theDaily Sabah.

Grand Kartal Hotel.Evrim Aydin/Anadolu via Getty

Evrim Aydin/Anadolu via Getty

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, per the publication, “Every necessary step is being taken and will continue to be taken to clarify the incident and hold those responsible accountable fully.”

The country’s minister of foreign affairs, Hakan Fidan, was among those sending their condolences to those impactedon X, writing in a translated post, “I wish God’s mercy upon our citizens who lost their lives in the fire that broke out in Bolu Kartalkaya and offer my condolences to their families and loved ones. I hope that our injured citizens will regain their health as soon as possible.”

An inside area of the Grand Kartal Hotel.Mehmet Emin Gurbuz/Anadolu via Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

source: people.com