Tragedy strikes Kartalkaya ski resort: 10 dead, 32 injured
A dramatic fire occurred at the Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkey, resulting in the deaths of 10 people and serious injuries to 32 others.
The fire broke out early on Tuesday, January 21, in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center hotel restaurant in the Köroğlu Mountains, about 186 miles east of Istanbul.
Tragedy at the hotel
According to Turkey's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, 10 people perished in the fire. Two victims died after jumping from the burning building, reported the Associated Press. Thirty-two people are seriously injured.
Local media report that people fled the hotel in panic through the windows. Witnesses saw some guests trying to escape from the eight-storey hotel engulfed in flames by lowering themselves down on ropes made from tied bed sheets.
The cause of the fire is unknown
Thirty fire trucks were dispatched to battle the blaze, and 28 ambulances arrived at the scene. Nearby hotels were also evacuated.
Footage aired on Turkish television shows the upper floors and the roof of the building on fire. Photos reveal almost nothing survived within the blaze's interior. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
It's currently vacation time in Turkish schools, resulting in overcrowding, which is why there were as many as 234 guests at the facility during the fire.
