Witnesses who saw the blaze tear through the 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel have described the mayhem and chaos that led to the deaths of at least 66 people.

“It was like the apocalypse. The flames engulfed the hotel immediately, like in half an hour,” said Mevlut Ozer, who witnessed the incident at the Kartalkaya ski resort in northwest Turkey.

In their attempts to flee, several people jumped from windows or attempted to use bed linens to lower themselves to the ground.

The death toll from a fire that raged through a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday has risen to 76, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Yerlikaya said 45 of the dead have been identified while efforts to identify the other victims were continuing. The minister said authorities have detained nine people as part of an investigation into the disaster.

A day of national mourning has been declared on Wednesday after at least 66 people died in a fire at a popular ski resort in Turkey.

In a post on social media site X, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “A one-day national mourning was declared in order to share the grief of the relatives of our brothers who lost their lives in a fire that broke out in a hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya.

“On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, our flags will be flown at half-staff until sunset in our country and in our foreign missions. In any case, those who caused such a disaster to occur, those who were negligent and at fault will be held accountable before the law.

“Today is not a day for politics; it is a day for solidarity, for being one and together. I would like to express that we expect all actors, including politics, media and local administrators, to respect the suffering of our citizens.

“Once again, I pray to God to have mercy on our deceased citizens and grant patience to their families; I convey my condolences and get well wishes to our nation. May God protect our country and our nation from such painful events.”

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said there were 238 guests at the hotel situated at the base of several ski slopes and which smouldered until the afternoon.

“I would like to share this pain, which is impossible to describe,” he said at the resort in offering condolences and announcing that the fire was extinguished.

“Since the back of the hotel is on a slope, fire extinguishing efforts could only be carried out from the front and side facades,” he said, adding crews began battling the mountaintop blaze about 45 minutes after the first call.

Barış Salgür, an employee at a neighboring hotel, told Turkish media that he was resting in his room when he heard cries for help coming from the windows of the burning hotel.

“We were in a state of panic,” Salgür told state-run Anadolu Agency.

“We could see smoke billowing from the upper sections of the building. We hurriedly gathered ropes, pillows and quilts. People were screaming for help as we waited for the fire brigade. It took about two hours. By the time the fire trucks arrived, the upper floors were fully engulfed.

The Grand Kartal Hotel, the location of the fire, is recognised as of the most iconic and historically significant establishments in the tourist hub of Kartalkaya which is popular for its skiing.

Originally conceived as a successor to the Kartal Hotel, which was founded in 1978, the Grand Kartal Hotel opened to the public in 1998.

Boasting 161 rooms and a capacity of 350 beds, the hotel underwent renovations in 2015. The cost of a three-night stay at the establishment reportedly ranges from 99,000 to 148,500 Turkish Liras.

The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns regarding the hotel’s fire safety prior to the disaster.

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission, has paid tribute to the victims of the fire and praised the “incredible courage” of firefighters.

In a post on X, she wrote: “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families as a devastating fire engulfs the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu.

“We honor the incredible courage of the first responders battling the flames.

“Europe stands united with Türkiye and its people in this tragedy, dear @RTErdogan.”

Several fire engines and ambulances later surrounded the charred, wood-fronted building, with white bed sheets tied together and dangling from at least three upper-floor windows where people tried to flee.

“People all started to jump with panic. One friend jumped from the 11th floor - may God have mercy on him,” said Omer Sakrak, another witness and employee of a neighbouring hotel.

“They tried to climb down using bedsheets. The bedsheets ripped as one friend tried ... and he unfortunately fell on his head,” he told Reuters. “One father was yelling about his one year-old child: ‘I will throw my child or he will burn’.”

Hotel guests told TV broadcasters they fled through smoke-filled corridors and heard no alarms.