Türkiye ski resort hotel fire death toll rises to nearly 80

The death toll from a fire that ripped through a hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey rose to 79 people, officials said.

Seventeen of the injured have been discharged from hospitals while one remains in intensive care, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said.

The blaze erupted Tuesday around 3.30 a.m. local time (00:30GMT) in the restaurant area of the Kartalkaya Ski Resort Hotel, quickly spreading throughout the building, according to Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin.

The fire, which took over 10 hours to bring under control, prompted the deployment of emergency teams from neighboring cities, including firefighters, disaster response units and medical personnel supported by helicopters. Cooling operations at the site are still ongoing.