Witnesses describe chaos and panic at Turkish ski resort as fire ripped through hotel where 79 died

KARTALKAYA, Turkey (AP) — As flames tore through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey, friends Esra Karakisa and Halime Cetin watched helplessly as the horror unfolded before them. Some people were leaning out of smoke-filled rooms pleading for help, while others made the harrowing decision to jump.

Tuesday's fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel, in Kartalkaya, in the Koroglu mountains in Bolu province left at least 79 people dead and 51 injured. It came near the start of a two-week winter break for schools when hotels in the region are filled to capacity.

“There was no one around. They were calling for firefighters. They were breaking the windows. Some could no longer stand the smoke and flames, and they jumped,” Cetin, an employee at a hotel adjacent to the Grand Kartal, told The Associated Press.

Karakisa said: “It was awful. We were terrified. People were screaming. The cries of children especially affected us. We wanted to help but there was nothing we could do. I couldn’t look it was so terrifying.”

Authorities have assigned six prosecutors to investigate the cause of the fire, which appeared to have started at the restaurant section on the fourth floor of the wooden-clad hotel and spread quickly through to the upper floors.

On Wednesday a deputy mayor and the acting fire chief for Bolu were both detained, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported, bringing to 11 the number of people taken into custody as part of the investigation, including the hotel's owner.

Flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad were lowered to half-staff as the nation shocked by the disaster observed a day of mourning for the victims.

The Bolu chief prosecutor's office on Wednesday raised the death toll to 79 from the previous 76. Authorities have so far identified 56 of the victims, Anadolu reported.

Twelve people were still being treated in hospitals, including one person who was in serious condition, the Health Ministry said.

On Wednesday, Turkey began conducting funeral prayers for the deceased.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Bolu from the capital Ankara to attend the funeral of eight members of the Gultekin family, who were related to an official of his ruling party.

“Our hearts are broken,” Erdogan said during the funeral of Zehra Sena Gultekin, her husband, their four children and another relative. “May God grant us patience.”

In Ankara, mourners joined officials at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque to bid farewell to Ahmet Cetiz, a doctor at a private hospital in the city, his wife Habibe and their sons, Vedat and Esat. Vedat's twin brother, Sedat, is also believed to have died, but his body has not been identified yet, the private DHA news agency reported.

The funeral was also held in Ankara on Wednesday for 15-year-old high Eren Bagci, a skiing enthusiast who was in Kartalkaya with his friends, DHA said.

The hotel had 238 registered guests. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. local time and the fire department began to respond at 4:15 a.m., the interior minister told reporters.

Officials and witnesses said the rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff.

According to Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024, and “no negative situation regarding fire competence” was reported by the fire department.

Karakisa said she eventually brought clothes and water for the survivors while others rushed to bring mattresses for people to jump onto or propped up ladders against the wall to help them escape.

Among those who placed mattresses was Baris Salgur, a cleaner in a nearby hotel.

“They were saying, ‘Please help, we’re burning!' They were saying, ‘Call the fire department.' We were trying to calm them down, but there was nothing we could do, we couldn’t get in either,” Salgur, 19, said. "It was very high, we couldn’t extend a rope or anything of course. We were trying to do the best we could.

“People jumped from a great height, I couldn’t look. There were two women at the top floor. The flames had literally entered the room. They couldn’t stand it and jumped.”

Salgur described seeing a man on the top floors holding a baby and shouting for a mattress he could throw his baby on.

"We told him to be a little calmer. He waited, then the fire department came and took them (out), but unfortunately the baby had died from smoke inhalation,” he said.

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Relatives and friends attend the funeral of Yilmaz Saritas and his children Nehir and Doruk, who were among the 76 victims who died in a fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, at Karsıyaka cemetery in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Relatives and friends mourn during the funeral of Yilmaz Saritas and his children Nehir and Doruk, who were among the 76 victims who died in a fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, at Karsıyaka cemetery in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Relatives and friends mourn during the funeral of Yilmaz Saritas and his children Nehir and Doruk, who were among the 76 victims who died in a fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, at Karsıyaka cemetery in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Relatives and friends mourn during the funeral of Yilmaz Saritas and his children Nehir and Doruk, who were among the 76 victims who died in a fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, at Karsıyaka cemetery in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Relatives and friends mourn during the funeral of Yilmaz Saritas and his children Nehir and Doruk, who were among the 76 victims who died in a fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, at Karsıyaka cemetery in Ankara, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ugur Yildirim/Dia Photo via AP)

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, attends the funeral of members of the Gultekin family at the Kalici Konutlar Merkez mosque in Bolu, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Eight members of the Gultekin family died in a fire that broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, attends the funeral of members of the Gultekin family at the Kalici Konutlar Merkez mosque in Bolu, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Eight members of the Gultekin family died in a fire that broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

Relatives carry the coffin of one of the members of the Gultekin family during their funeral at the Kalici Konutlar Merkez mosque in Bolu, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Eight members of the Gultekin family died in a fire that broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

Relatives carry the coffin of one of the members of the Gultekin family during their funeral at the Kalici Konutlar Merkez mosque in Bolu, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Eight members of the Gultekin family died in a fire that broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

People attend the funeral of members of the Gultekin family at the Kalici Konutlar Merkez mosque in Bolu, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Eight members of the Gultekin family died in a fire that broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province. (Adem Altan/Pool Photo via AP)

Firefighters work on the aftermath of a fire that broke out at a hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Firefighters work on the aftermath of a fire that broke out at a hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Tightened bed sheets hang from a window of a hotel where a fire broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A Turkish flag flag flies at half staff outside a hotel where a fire broke out at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Firefighters and emergency teams work on the aftermath of a fire that broke out at a hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.

Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.

Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

The Latest:

The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.

The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.

Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.

“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.

Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.

Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.

Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.

Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.

Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.

The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.

Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)