Türkiye arrests 11 people in connection with hotel fire

(CLO) Turkish authorities have arrested 11 people as part of an investigation into a fire that broke out at a ski resort in the Bolu Mountains, killing 79 people and injuring dozens, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Wednesday.

Among those arrested were a deputy mayor of Bolu province, the city's fire chief, the hotel owner and the hotel manager, Tunc said on social media X.

View of the area where the hotel burned. Photo: USAS

Several funerals were held on Wednesday for victims of the fire, including many children. The fire sent panicked guests jumping out of windows in the middle of the night.

"Our hearts are aching," President Tayyip Erdogan said at the funeral of the eight victims and their families.

The bodies of 45 victims have been handed over to their families, and forensic DNA tests are being carried out to identify the remaining victims, the government said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the country's Interior Ministry announced the death toll of 76 in the fire, but after forensic DNA tests, the Bolu prosecutor's office updated the death toll to 79 on Wednesday evening.

The fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort, a 12-story hotel with 238 registered guests.

Some survivors said they did not hear any fire warnings during the incident, and people had to move through smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.

The hotel has pledged to cooperate fully with the investigation and expressed deep regret for the loss.

Cao Phong (according to CNN, CBS, WP, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tho-nhi-ky-bat-11-nguoi-lien-quan-den-vu-chay-khach-san-khien-79-nguoi-thiet-mang-post331653.html