15 arrested during investigation into Turkey resort fire that killed 78: Report

Turkey has arrested 15 people as part of an investigation into a fire that killed 78 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains earlier this week, state media reported on Sunday.

The tragedy has sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Turkey, lacked basic fire safety measures.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey’s judiciary was working to punish all those responsible for the incident. The hotel’s management has pledged full cooperation.

On Sunday, Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency said the hotel’s owner, manager, director, and 12 others were arrested as part of the probe. It said judicial proceedings continued for the deputy mayor of the Bolu province and the head of the local fire department, while six others were released under certain conditions.

The blaze started on the restaurant floor of the 12-storey building, which had 238 registered guests, at around 3:30 am (0030 GMT) on Tuesday. It forced panicked hotel guests to jump from windows in the middle of the night.