At least 66 people have died and more than 50 others were injured in a fire at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey, reports DW.
The blaze broke out in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the mountain-top resort of Kartalkaya at 3:27 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
"Our pain is great," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at the scene.
Some of the victims are reported to have died after jumping from the building in panic, while local media also described guests trying to climb down from their rooms using bedsheets and blankets.
Television footage showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire, sending plumes of smoke into the sky with a snowcapped mountain in the background.
The hotel was reported to be between 80-90% full due to school holidays, with over 230 guests checked in.
Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, told private broadcaster NTV he had helped around 20 people to evacuate the building, but that it was difficult to locate fire escapes due to the smoke.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
