A blaze swept through a 12-storey hotel at a well-known ski resort in northwestern Turkiye early Tuesday during a school break, claiming at least 76 lives, including at least two individuals who leaped from the building to evade the flames, officials reported.

At least 51 individuals were also injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya

Located in Bolu province's Koroglu mountains, approximately 300 kilometres east of Istanbul, stated Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The fire broke out just before a two-week winter holiday for schools, a period when hotels in the area are fully booked.

We are experiencing profound sorrow. Unfortunately, we Afghanistan Phone Number List have lost 66 lives in the fire that ignited at this hotel, Yerlikaya informed reporters following his inspection of the scene.

Atakan Yelkovan, a guest on the third floor, remarked to the IHA news agency that chaos ensued on the upper floors as other guests attempted to flee the fire, including efforts to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.

Individuals on the upper levels were yelling. They hung down sheets... Some attempted to jump, Yelkovan recounted.

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Yerlikaya noted that
5 of the 76 deceased individuals have been identified while efforts continue to recognize the remaining victims.

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu indicated that at least one of the injured is in critical condition, while 17 other individuals were treated and discharged.

The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya mentioned. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m., and the fire department commenced its response at
:15 a.m., he informed reporters.

The government designated six prosecutors to spearhead an inquiry into the fire, which is believed to have originated in the hotel's restaurant area. Nine individuals have been apprehended as part of the investigation into the blaze, Yerlikaya said. Earlier, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc stated that the hotel's owner was among those taken in for questioning during the probe.

According to Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin, at least two of the victims perished when they jumped from the building in fear. Among the deceased were Nedim Turkmen, a columnist for Sozcu newspaper, along with his wife and two children, the newspaper reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Afghanistan Phone Number Database a national day of mourning to be observed on Wednesday. He announced that all flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad would be flown at half-staff.

Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, stated that he was asleep when the fire broke out and quickly exited the building. He relayed to NTV television that he subsequently assisted around 20 guests in escaping the hotel.

The hotel was filled with smoke, making it hard for guests to find the fire escape, he noted.

I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK, the ski instructor expressed to the station.