Twenty-four hours of national mourning was declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the tragedy with the 66 dead and 51 injured due to the fire in a ski resort in Bolou Province in the north. In the evening at 3:30 (22.01.2020) he announced an alarm when at the hotel – “trap” a fire broke out on the 4th floor where the restaurant was located. They immediately “lightened” other floors, thus endangering the 234 visitors to the Kartalkaya ski resort in Turkey. A total of 66 people died, while 51 were injured in their attempt to escape, after many jumped out of the windows having sheets tied together. CORVERSE In statements, Erdogan after the Cabinet meeting in Ankara, said he initiated a judicial and administrative investigation into the causes of the fire. He also clarified that six prosecutors, two public administration inspectors, four Labour Ministry inspectors and a five-member expert committee have been appointed for this purpose. Four government ministers also rushed on the spot. “At first stage, four people were arrested, including the owner of the operation where the tragedy occurred. I say this clearly and unequivocally once and for all: Those who caused such a disaster, those who showed negligence and blame, will answer before the law,” Tayyip Erdogan said. Turkey’s High Broadcasting Council imposed on the media a ban on information about the fire. CORVERSE The period The fire at the 12th floor hotel Grand Kartal, located at the well-known destination of winter tourism Kartalkaya, about 300 km west of Istanbul and 180 km from Ankara, broke out at 3:27 in the morning. At that time most hotel customers were in their rooms and their flames found them in sleep, which is estimated to increase the number of victims. The large number of victims also contributed to the fact that students in Turkey are currently on a fortnight’s vacation after the end of the first semester in schools and for many families this is a winter excursion period. The causes of the fire are not yet known. There is no way that it is due to a gas leak or short circuit. The first estimates indicate that the fire started from the restaurant area of the hotel. Of the 51 injured, one is hospitalized in critical condition in an intensive care unit, while 17 were discharged. At the time of the fire at the hotel there were 237 guests, according to Prefect Bolu, Abdullah Aydin. Earlier, the initial information mentioned ten dead and 32 injured and then public opinion heard shocked by the Interior Minister that the account amounted to 66 dead and 51 injured. “People screaming, hanging sheets and jumping” Eyewitnesses remembered the smell of burning, with visitors’ cries filling the top floors of the hotel. Others said the hotel’s fire detection service did not work. Some videos, others were shared on social media and others were broadcast by Turkish television stations, showed flames coming out of the hotel’s top floors. Some people seemed to use tied sheets to try to escape the fire. “It was so bad. Everyone jumped out the windows in fear of death and people were so ashamed that there were no fire extinguishers around,” said an eyewitness. “We couldn’t bring water to people. Ambulances and fire trucks came too late and people didn’t know what to do,” he added. A visitor living on the third floor of the hotel said the alarm was not heard, reported the Associated Press, citing the IHA news agency. “My wife smelled the burn … We tried to get up but we didn’t make it, there were flames,” Atakan Yelkan said. “People upstairs were screaming. They hung the sheets… Some tried to jump.” Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan, a hotel resident, said he woke up from chaos and helped save about 20 visitors. “The smoke was stifling and it was hard for people to find the fire,” he told the television network NTV. In the images shown it appears that the fire quickly flooded the hotel and destroyed it completely. In the rapid spread of the fire contributed the fact that the building had on the walls of the wooden lining. Authorities have warned about the risk of collapse of the building. According to complaints, the hotel did not have a water-fire system activated automatically in the event of a fire and the alarm did not sound. Initial information that it did not even have external escape stairs in the event of a fire, was refuted by Tourism Minister Mehmet Nouri Ersoy, who invoked a relevant certificate from the Fire Service. It is also reported that there is no fire station in Kartalkaya, which is one of the most important ski resorts, within relatively close proximity to Istanbul and Ankara. The nearest fire department station is within an hour and 15 minutes. At least 30 fire vehicles and 28 ambulances were sent to the scene, Aydin’s office reported. According to Yerlikaya, authorities mobilised 267 emergency people to respond to the fire. Authorities evacuated other hotels in the resort as a precautionary measure and visitors were housed in hotels around Bolu. Condolences by Kyriakos Mitsotakis In a message on the X platform, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed regret at the tragic loss of human lives from the fire at the ski center. Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the ski resort fire in Bolu, Turkey. On behalf of Greece, I extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victors and wish a Swift recovery to the injured. — Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) “On behalf of Greece, I express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish the wounded a speedy recovery,” the prime minister said.
Turkey: National mourning for the 66 killed by hotel fire – The shocking testimonies and “foaming” of media
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