At least 10 people were killed and 32 others injured Tuesday after a fire at a hotel at a ski resort in western Turkey, authorities said.
The fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu province occurred during the winter break at schools across the country, a time when families rush to ski resorts and other vacation spots.
The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. local time, while most of the occupants were asleep, according to media reports. In an attempt to evacuate, some occupants tied sheets together to make a rope which they used to descend to a lower floor, video footage showed.
The cause of the fire was unclear.
Television images showed smoke billowing from a building framed by snow-capped mountains. Dozens of rescuers and fire trucks were dispatched from surrounding towns.
“When I left my room, I saw the flames on the fourth floor, the restaurant floor,” Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor who also worked at the hotel, told NTV channel. “Then it started taking over the hotel. We helped a dozen people evacuate because we know the hotel very well.
He added that he was unable to reach some students because the smoke was too intense. “People were shouting to be saved,” he told the television station.
