ALBAWABA- The death toll from a devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel, a popular ski resort in Kartalkaya, Bolu province, northwest Turkey, has risen to 66, according to the interior minister.
The blaze, which broke out around 3:30 a.m. in the hotel’s restaurant, forced some of the 234 guests to jump from windows in a desperate bid to escape.
At least 51 people were injured, with one in critical condition. Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin confirmed that two victims died after leaping from the building in panic.
Some survivors used makeshift ropes of sheets and blankets to climb down from their rooms, while others were trapped in the smoke-filled structure.
Eyewitnesses reported that the hotel's fire alarm system failed to activate, delaying evacuations. Third-floor guest Atakan Yelkovan described chaotic scenes as flames blocked exits. "People on the upper floors were screaming.
They hung down sheets; some tried to jump," he said. Firefighters arrived after nearly an hour, by which time much of the building was engulfed.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, as questions mount over the safety protocols at the 12-story, 161-room hotel.
