ANKARA – A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the northwestern Turkish ski resort of Bolu has killed 66 people and injured 51 others, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.

The fire broke out at 03:27 a.m. local time (0027 GMT) in the 12-story hotel during a busy holiday period, with more than 230 guests present. Video footage circulating on social media showed what appeared to be guests using bed linen to escape from windows.

Bolu Provincial Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial investigations indicated the fire started in the fourth-floor restaurant area before spreading upwards.

XINHUA