At least 66 people have died in a fire that has engulfed a popular Turkish hotel, leaving some to jump from windows.
The fire broke out at the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during the busy holiday season when 234 people were staying there.
The initial death toll of 10 rose sharply in the hours after the fire at Turkey’s interior ministry. At least two people died after trying to jump to safety.
It took 12 hours to put out the fire. Four people were arrested, including the owner, said the justice minister.
Getty Images“Our pain is great,” said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Pictures circulating in Turkey show linen hanging from windows used by those trying to escape the burning building.
Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told the BBC that he was on the second floor of the hotel when the fire broke out and was able to escape through the ski room. Then he helped with the relief efforts.
Eyewitnesses said the family that owns the hotel was present when the fire broke out and Mr. Kepcetutan said he saw some of the family outside.
The cause of the fire was not yet known, but Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports indicated that it started in the restaurant on the fourth floor of the hotel and spread to the upper floors.
Aydin said that the distance between the hotel, in Kartalkaya, and the center of Bolu, coupled with the intense weather, meant that it took more than an hour for the fire engines to arrive. Emergency services sent 267 workers to the area.
The hotel was investigating whether guests, including children, were trapped in their rooms as the fire spread.
The hotel had two fire escapes, according to the interior minister, and one hotel worker said they were able to rescue 30-35 people.
Minister of Justice Yilmaz Tunc said they were given to the prosecutors to investigate the fire.
The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns about fire safety before Tuesday’s disaster.
The Bolu Mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the capital Ankara and the hotel was operating at peak capacity for the start of the two-week school holidays.
The northwestern city is about 170km (105 miles) from Ankara.
Although the fire was contained to one hotel, the governor told Turkish media that a neighboring hotel had been evacuated as a precaution.
Guests who were taken out of the hotel were taken to hotels near the center of Bolu.
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