President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to visit Bulu on Wednesday, said those responsible for the fire’s negligence “will be held accountable.”
Flags are being flown at half-mast across Turkey in memory of the victims of the fire, while the first funerals are being held.
Search and rescue teams are making last-ditch efforts to locate the remaining bodies.
Along with the fatalities, 51 people were injured in the fire, according to Health Minister Kemal Mimisoglu. One was in intensive care, and 17 people have been discharged.
Footage circulating in Turkey shows hanging from windows used by people trying to escape the burning building.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Bolo Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports indicated it broke out in the restaurant section of the hotel’s fourth floor and spread to the upper floors.
The Bolo governor said it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive due to the hotel’s remote location and freezing conditions.
The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there were no concerns about the hotel’s fire safety before Tuesday’s disaster.
However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said regulations required an automatic fire extinguisher system, and photos of the hotel showed one had not been installed.
It added that it was not clear whether other regulations were followed, but based on statements from survivors, “it is understood that the detection and warning system did not work and escape routes were closed.” could not be determined”.
The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, which is about 170 kilometers (105 miles) away, and the hotel was at full capacity at the start of the two-week school holidays.
