Hotel fire tragedy in Turkey claims 79 lives, ignites blame game
In a hotel fire in Turkey, 79 people have died. It is known that the fire began in the kitchen of the hotel restaurant. According to Turkish media reports, many individuals were poisoned with carbon monoxide while attempting to escape through the emergency stairways.
A tragic fire occurred at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Turkey, resulting in the deaths of 79 people. The fire started in the kitchen of the hotel restaurant on the fourth floor and quickly spread to other parts of the building. As reported by the Polish Press Agency, the lack of adequate fire safety measures, including a sprinkler system, contributed to the spread of the fire.
Investigators determined that the emergency stairways in the building acted like a chimney, carrying smoke to higher floors. Survivors reported that escape attempts through the emergency exits were hampered due to the smoke. It appears that some of the victims perished from carbon monoxide poisoning. According to regulations, emergency exits should be secured with doors on each floor, which was not the case here.
At the time of the fire, there were 234 guests at the hotel. Witnesses described dramatic scenes as people tried to escape, jumping out of windows or sliding down ropes made from bed sheets. Thirty fire trucks and 28 ambulances were dispatched to the scene. The fire department, which arrived an hour after the report, rescued over 50 people through windows using a fire truck with a ladder. One person was saved using a trampoline.
Political repercussions
The tragedy has sparked political disputes in Turkey. The ruling party and local opposition authorities blame each other for negligence, which might have led to the disaster. Preliminary findings indicate that the lack of proper fire safety measures in the hotel could have contributed to the tragic outcomes of the fire. As a result of the tragedy, four people have been arrested, including the hotel owner. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey declared a national mourning and announced severe punishments for those responsible.
The Kartalkaya resort, located about 300 kilometres east of Istanbul, is a popular winter vacation spot in Turkey. During the holiday season, the resorts are full of guests, which further increased the scale of the tragedy. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and authorities continue to investigate the incident.
