Turkey has detained nine people as part of an investigation into a fire at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains that killed 76 people and injured dozens, officials said.
Several funerals were held on Wednesday for families, including several children, who died in Tuesday’s fire, which forced terrified hotel guests to jump from windows in the middle of the night.
“Our hearts and souls are hurting and we are trying to fulfill this duty at this time,” President Tayyip Erdogan said at the funeral of the eight victims in the western Turkish city of Bulu.
“I pray for patience for the entire family and our nation.” The government said the bodies of 45 victims have been handed over to their families, while forensic DNA tests are being conducted to identify the others.
The fire broke out in the Grand Kartel Hotel at Kartalkia Ski Resort, a 12-story hotel with 238 registered guests. The restaurant was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out on the floor at 3:30am local time (7:30pm Monday).
Authorities have faced growing criticism of the hotel’s safety measures, as survivors said they did not hear a fire alarm during the incident.
Visitors said they had to walk through smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness, and other survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors.
The hotel pledged full cooperation with the investigation and said it was “deeply sorry for the losses.”
At a funeral in Ankara, the coffins of a family of five lined up at the central Ahmed Hamdi Aksıkı mosque.
According to a Reuters witness at the funeral, the parents, a doctor and a teacher, had gone skiing with their three children during a mid-school break.
According to local media reports, at least 20 children were among the victims of the fire.
President Tayyip Erdogan declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday after the tragedy, which occurred during the height of the winter tourist season, with many families from Istanbul and Ankara traveling to ski in the Bolu Mountains.
