At least 66 dead, 51 injured in hotel fire at a ski resort in northwestern Turkiye

A fire at a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) killed at least 66 people, Turkey's Interior Minister said.

Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured in the disaster that struck the Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu province's Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the schools semester break, when hotels in the region are packed.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.