Flags were flown at half-mast across Turkey and at its embassies around the world for a national day of mourning after a fire at a winter resort yesterday.
At least 76 people died in a fire that broke out at a hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in northern Turkey on Tuesday.
Flags were also flown at half-mast at Turkey’s diplomatic missions in the region.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed last night that the death toll in the fire had risen to 76.
It was earlier reported that 51 people were injured in the fire, one of them in critical condition, and 17 people were released from hospital after receiving treatment.
Yerlikaya added that nine people had been detained so far in the investigation into the hotel fire.
Numerous emergency teams from neighboring cities, including firefighters, disaster response units and medical teams supported by helicopters, were sent to the scene of the accident. About 230 people were evacuated from the hotel. An investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.
Kartalkaya, in the province of Bolu, is one of Turkey’s most important winter tourist destinations and attracts thousands of visitors during the ski season, AA writes.
