Turkey detains nine people over ski resort hotel fire that killed 76

ANKARA, TURKEY — 

Turkey has detained 9 people, including the proprietor of the hotel, successful transportation with a deadly fire that claimed the lives of 76 radical and injured dozens astatine a skis edifice successful occidental Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said aboriginal Wednesday.

Yerlikaya besides reported that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed implicit to their families, portion DNA tests were being conducted to place the remaining bodies astatine the forensic institute.

The occurrence occurred astatine the Grand Kartal Hotel successful the Kartalkaya skis edifice successful the Bolu mountains.

The hotel, wherever the occurrence broke out, expressed heavy sorrow successful a connection connected Wednesday and pledged afloat practice with the investigation.

"We are cooperating with authorities to shed airy connected each aspects of this incident," the connection said. "We are profoundly saddened by the losses and privation you to cognize that we stock this symptom with each our hearts."

The 12-story hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was consumed by flames aft the occurrence started connected the edifice level astir 3:30 a.m. section clip oregon 0030 GMT. Survivors described scenes of panic arsenic they fled done smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape.

Authorities are facing increasing disapproval implicit the hotel’s information measures, arsenic survivors reported that nary occurrence alarms went disconnected during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors successful implicit darkness.

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a time of nationalist mourning pursuing the tragedy, which occurred during the highest of the wintertime tourism season, with galore families from Istanbul and Ankara traveling to the Bolu mountains for skiing.