A devastating fire at a ski resort in Turkey’s Grand Kartal Hotel has claimed the lives of at least 79 people, leaving families, officials, and survivors reeling with grief and outrage. The blaze broke out on Tuesday morning, trapping dozens of guests and workers inside the 12-story lodge.
Reports indicated that multiple survivors had no access to fire alarms or escape routes, while photos from before the fire showed no signs of a sprinkler system, which was supposed to have been installed years ago. The sudden loss of so many lives during what should have been a joyful winter vacation has sparked calls for accountability among officials who failed to ensure the building’s safety.
Turkey’s justice minister said prosecutors are investigating the blaze, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to punish anyone responsible. At a funeral for an extended family that lost 14 members in the fire, Mr. Erdogan struck a somber tone, saying his “hearts were burned.”
Among those killed were a business school dean and his daughter, a competitive swimmer and her mother, and multiple cooks who worked at the hotel. The victims included affluent professionals, many with their children or other family members.
The families of the deceased have expressed shock and anger, with some calling for justice and others struggling to come to terms with their loss. As one relative said, “I go to bed each night thinking about what I am going to wake up to each morning,” lamenting the avoidable deaths caused by disasters in Turkey.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/world/middleeast/turkey-ski-resort-fire-families-grief.html