By Ncaba Ntshakala
Prime Minister Russell Dlamini has conveyed heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of Türkiye following a devastating fire that broke out at a ski resort hotel in the country’s Bolu Province.
The Prime Minister expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident that claimed the lives of 66 people and left 51 others injured in an early morning blaze at the Kartalkaya ski resort.
“We have learnt with great sadness of a fire break out in the Republic of Türkiye, where 66 people were killed and 51 injured following an early morning blaze at a hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province.
We extend our deepest sympathy to the Government and the people of the Republic of Türkiye.
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May the families of all those who have lost their loved ones in this great tragedy find strength and comfort,” said Dlamini.
According to media reports, the fire erupted in the early hours of the morning at the Grand Kartal Hotel, a 12-storey establishment situated in the mountainous region of northwest Türkiye.
The incident, which took place at approximately 3:30 a.m. local time, resulted in panic among guests, many of whom were forced to jump from the hotel’s upper floors to escape the rapidly spreading flames.
itnesses described the scene as apocalyptic, with the blaze consuming the hotel within a short period. “It was like the apocalypse.
The flames engulfed the hotel immediately, like in half an hour,” said Mevlut Ozer, who witnessed the tragic event at the ski resort.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that guests resorted to desperate measures, tying bed sheets together in an attempt to climb down from the higher floors.
White sheets were seen hanging from at least three windows of the charred, wood-fronted building, serving as a grim reminder of the frantic escape attempts made by those trapped inside.
In response to the tragedy, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a national day of mourning, which was said to highlight the severity of the incident and its impact on the nation.
The fire, which reportedly started on the restaurant floor of the hotel, prompted a swift response from emergency services, with several fire engines and ambulances deployed to the scene.
However, despite their efforts, the blaze continued to smoulder until the afternoon, with authorities confirming the loss of numerous lives.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya revealed that there were 238 guests at the hotel at the time of the fire, and many survivors recounted their harrowing escape through smoke-filled corridors.
Disturbingly, some guests reported that they heard no fire alarms as the blaze spread rapidly through the structure.
Yerlikaya acknowledged the pain felt by the nation, stating, “Our pain is impossible to describe,” while offering his condolences to the bereaved families.
Eyewitness testimonies from the scene paint a chilling picture of the chaos. One hotel employee, Omer Sakrak, who worked at a neighbouring hotel, recounted the horrifying moment when panic-stricken guests leapt from the building to save their lives.
“People all started to jump with panic. One friend jumped from the 11th floor – may God have mercy on him,” he said.
He further recounted an emotional scene where a father, desperate to save his child from the flames, considered throwing the child from an upper floor in a bid to spare him from the blaze.
“One father was yelling about his one-year-old child: ‘I will throw my child or he will burn,’” he recalled.
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The chaotic escape efforts were marked by further tragedy when bedsheets used as makeshift ropes reportedly ripped, leading to fatal falls.
Turkish authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire, with police detaining nine individuals as part of the probe.
Interior Minister Yerlikaya confirmed that prosecutors are working to determine the exact cause of the blaze and hold those responsible accountable.
In the aftermath of the incident, authorities have begun conducting DNA tests to identify some of the bodies recovered from the scene, given the extent of the damage caused by the fire.
The Grand Kartal Hotel, located at the base of several popular ski slopes, was reportedly accommodating many families from Istanbul and Ankara who had travelled to the resort for school holiday vacations.
