site.btaUPDATED 76 Killed in Hotel Fire in Turkish Ski Resort

A total of 76 people died and dozens more were injured in a fire at a hotel in Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province (Northwestern Turkiye), Turkish media reported, quoting Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

The blaze started at around 2:30 am Bulgarian time in the restaurant area of the 12-storey wood-clad hotel, quickly engulfing the building. Guests were evacuated to four other hotels.

There were 234 guests at the hotel in Bolu Province, which shares a border with Ankara Province. It was about 80-90% full as school and university students are having their winter holidays, CNN Turk reported.

Emergency teams from Bolu and Gerede, including firefighters, police, gendarmerie, disaster response units and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. A total of 267 people were involved in the firefighting effort, the Anadolu Agency reported.