Turkey mourns victims of fatal Bolu hotel fire as efforts to identify them continue

A day of mourning is under way in Turkey for the 76 victims of a fire that engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in the country’s north-west.

The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there. It took 12 hours to put out.

An investigation has been launched into the incident and there have been conflicting reports about whether the hotel was up to safety standards.

Nine people have been arrested, including the hotel’s owner.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Bolu on Wednesday, said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire “will be held accountable”.

Flags are flying 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 their final efforts to find any remaining bodies.

The authorities said that they were assessing all risks, including the possibility of collapse, for the building.

Alongside the fatalities, 51 people were injured in the fire, according to health minister Kemal Memisoglu. One was receiving treatment in intensive care, and 17 people have been discharged. Relatives have been gathering outside the hospitals where they are being treated.

A person the BBC met in front of the morgue said that he had received news that seven of his relatives had died and that he had visited hospitals looking for their bodies. He later learned that the morgue was empty.

Footage circulating showed linen hanging from windows which was used by those trying to escape the burning building. On Wednesday, these could still be seen swaying in the wind.

The cause of the fire has not yet been found, but Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports suggested it had broken out in the restaurant section of the hotel’s fourth floor and spread to the floors above.

Aydin said the hotel’s remote location and freezing conditions meant it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive.

The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns regarding the hotel’s fire safety prior to Tuesday’s disaster.

However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that, according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguisher system was needed, and it appeared from photos of the hotel that one had not been installed.

It added that it was unclear if other regulations had been complied with, but based on the statements of survivors, “it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and the escape routes could not be determined”.

Some survivors reported that they had not heard any fire alarms.

The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and Turkey’s capital Ankara, which is roughly 170km (105 miles) away, and the hotel was operating at high occupancy at the start of the two-week school holidays.

Information about those who died in the fire is continuing to emerge, although some of the bodies are still to be identified. At least two people were killed after they tried to jump to safety.

Many children and young people are among the dead and, in many cases, several members of the same family have been killed.

Turkish Airlines confirmed that Zehra Sena Gültekin died along with her husband, businessman Bilal Gültekin, and three children. Boğaziçi Executives Foundation said two of Bilal’s siblings were also killed.

These included Dr Enes Gültekin, who the Medical Union said had died, along with Izmir dentist Dr Kübra Tonguç Altın and his daughter Alya.

More than 10 members of the Gültekin family are thought to have died in total. President Erdogan and his wife attended the family’s funeral on Wednesday.

Dentist Dr Burak Hasar announced that his colleague of 15-years, Dr Yasemen Boncuk Tüzgiray, her husband Dr Erhan Tüzgiray, and their children Defne and Demir had all died.

The Turkish Wind Energy Association announced that two executives from one of its members, Inovat Energy Storage Solutions, were killed. They are the company’s CEO Can Tokcan, his brother Atıl Enis Tokcan, and their children Kemal and Atlas Kaan.

Tarsus American College announced the death of its graduates Mert Doğan, his wife Duygu, and their children Mavi and Doğa, as well as another graduate’s grandson Ömür Kotan.

The İELEV Schools association announced the death of students Pelin Güngör, her mother Burcu, father Kıvanç and brother Kerem.

Staff at the hotel were also killed, including chef Eslem Uyanik. Turkish media quoted Süleyman Nazik, who said his daughter, Esra Nazik, had died and had just started working there.

Prof Dr Atakan Yalçın, who worked at the Özyeğin University Faculty of Business, and his daughter Elif Derin, both died.

Nedim Turkmen, a writer for Sozcu newspaper, his wife Ayse Neva, and their two children, 18-year-old Ala Dora and 22-year-old Yüce Ata, were all killed.

TED Istanbul College announced the death of students Alican Boduroğlu, his sister Elif Nas, as well as their mother Ebru.

Meanwhile, TED Ankara College shared the news of the death of Eren Bağcı on its social media accounts.

Dilara Ermanoglu, 24, was also among the victims, and her father who had gone to Bolu to look for her was treated by health workers for a heart attack.

Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer with Fenerbahce Sports Club in Istanbul, also died, along with her mother Ferda.

Club management also said that Ceren Yaman Doğan, the wife of the vice president of its Bolu association, and their 17-year-old daughter Lalin, were killed. Ceren was also the daughter of a well-known local businessman.

Mehmet Cem Doğan, the Bolu factory director for OYAK cement, died, as did his wife Ayşemin Elif and daughter Ayşe Maya.

The Turkish Neurology Association said its member, Dr Ahmet Çetiz, was killed alongside his family.

Başkent University published a condolence message regarding the death of its graduate Müge Suyolcu and her daughter Pera.

The death of intern doctor Yiğit Gençbay, a senior student at the university’s medicine department, was also announced.