Jordan expresses condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Turkey, for the fire incident that happened in northwest Turkey's Bolu city, which claimed the lives of 66 people. 

The ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah affirmed the Kingdom's sympathy and solidarity with the government and people of Turkey. 

He expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The death toll from a fire that engulfed a hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday rose to 66, officials said, according to AFP. 

Witnesses said desperate guests had tried to escape using ropes, footage showed bedsheets hanging from the windows, and media reports suggest some had died after trying to jump to safety, AFP added.

"Our pain is great," Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters at the resort in Kartalkaya, around 170 kilometres (100 miles) northwest of the capital Ankara.

He added that "66 citizens lost their lives and 51 others were wounded" as officials said that the fire had now been contained.

The blaze broke out at 3:27 am in the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, Yerlikaya said.

Some 238 guests were registered at the hotel, the minister added. It was a peak time during a two-week school holiday. 

Turkish authorities detained four suspects including the owner of the resort hotel, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on X.

The fire is believed to have started in the restaurant and spread quickly, though it was not immediately clear what caused it, according to AFP.