78 dead

Fire in Turkish ski hotel: manager in custody

Following the fire in a Turkish ski hotel, 19 people are in custody.(Bild: AFP/Adem Altan)

Following the devastating hotel fire in a Turkish ski resort, 19 people have now been remanded in custody. These include the owner and manager of the hotel, the head of the local fire department and the deputy mayor of the city of Bolu.

In addition, an employee of a responsible inspection company has been declared wanted. The central government and the opposition-led municipality of Bolu have been blaming each other for the disaster for days. The fire caused great outrage among the population because fire protection measures were allegedly neglected.

As reported, the fire broke out last week in a ski hotel with more than 230 guests. 78 people lost their lives and others were injured. Some of the guests tried to save themselves by tying sheets together or jumping out of the window. Many were unable to escape the flames. They reported that they could not find the door or the fire escape because of the smoke.

The devastating fire claimed the lives of 78 people.(Bild: AP/dia Photo/Mert Gokhan Koc)

Investigations into the cause are still ongoing.(Bild: AFP/Demiroren News Agency)

The cause of the fire was initially unclear and the investigation is still ongoing. Turkey has a dismal record when it comes to building safety measures. Only on Friday evening, a residential building in Konya collapsed. Two people lost their lives. Last year, 29 people died in a fire in a nightclub in Istanbul.