66 people killed in hotel fire at Turkish ski resort

ANKARA, Turkey — A fire broke out at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, killing at least 66 people and injuring 51, according the country’s Health Ministry.

The fire broke out overnight at the restaurant of a hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Two of the victims died after jumping out of the building in a panic, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency earlier. Private NTV television said some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets.

There were 234 guests staying at the hotel, Aydin said.

Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Kartalkaya is a popular ski resort in the Koroglu mountains, about 186 miles east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the school semester break, when hotels in the region are packed.

Aydin’s office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site.

Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution.