United News of Bangladesh

At least 76 people died, and 51 others were injured when a fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular ski destination in Turkey’s Bolu province, reports AP. The fire started in the restaurant area on the fourth floor and quickly spread upwards. The blaze occurred just before schools were set to begin their winter break, a time when local hotels are fully booked. At least 66 dead, 51 injured in Turkey hotel fire Esra Karakisa and Halime Cetin, friends who were at a nearby hotel, were left in shock as they witnessed people trapped in smoke-filled rooms, crying for help, and some deciding to jump from windows to escape the flames. Cetin, who works at a hotel next door, recalled, "There was no one there to help. They were screaming for firefighters, breaking windows. Some couldn’t stand the smoke or fire and leapt out." Karakisa added, "It was terrifying. We were horrified, especially by the children's screams. We wanted to help, but there was nothing we could do. It was too frightening to watch." Six prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the cause of the fire. The hotel, a wooden structure, had been inspected in 2021 and 2024, and no fire safety concerns were noted. Nine people have been detained for questioning, including the hotel owner. Explosion at in Northwest Turkey leaves 12 dead Flags were lowered to half-staff as Turkey observed a national day of mourning for the victims. As of late Tuesday, only 45 of the 76 bodies had been identified. One of the injured remains in critical condition, and 29 others were treated and discharged. The hotel had 238 registered guests, and the fire was reported at 3:27 a.m., with firefighters arriving at 4:15 a.m. Authorities noted that the hotel’s location on the side of a cliff complicated rescue efforts. Karakisa later helped by providing clothes and water to the survivors, while others tried to assist by setting up mattresses or leaning ladders against the wall for those inside to escape. Syrians line up at Turkish border crossing, awaiting return home Among the rescuers was Baris Salgur, a cleaner at a nearby hotel. He recalled, "People were crying for help, saying, 'We’re burning!' We tried to calm them down, but there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t reach them." Salgur described the heart-wrenching moment when two women jumped from the top floor after the flames reached their room. He also witnessed a man with a baby on the top floor, desperately asking for a mattress to cushion his fall. Sadly, the baby died from smoke inhalation before the fire department arrived to rescue them.

A fire at a hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday killed at least 66 people, Turkey's Interior Minister said. Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured in the disaster. “We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site. Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition. The fire broke out at around 3:30am in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, officials and reports said. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Two of the victims died after jumping from the building in a panic, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Private NTV television said some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets. Landslides, flash floods in Indonesia kill 17, missing 8 There were 234 guests staying at the hotel, Aydin said. Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire erupted and he rushed out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped some 20 guests out of the hotel. He said the hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape. “I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” the ski instructor told the station. Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire. Witnesses and reports said the hotel’s fire detection system failed to operate. “My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” Atakan Yelkovan, a guest staying on the third floor of the hotel, told the IHA news agency. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here (outside),” he said. Yelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive. Fire crews in Southern California quickly extinguish brush fires amid extreme fire weather “People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... some tried to jump,” he said. The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the fire. NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire. The 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to combat the flames, the station also reported. NTV showed a smoke-blackened lobby, its glass entrance and windows smashed, its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed to the ground. Kartalkaya is a popular ski resort in the Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the school semester break when hotels in the region are packed. Aydin's office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site. Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in hotels around Bolu. Meanwhile, a gas explosion at a hotel at another ski resort in central Turkey injured four people. The explosion took place at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas province. Two skiers and their instructor were slightly injured while another instructor received second-degree burns on the hands and face, the Sivas governor’s office said.