Foreign Ministry confirms no Azerbaijani casualties in Türkiye's Kartalkaya hotel fire

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no Azerbaijani citizens were among the dead or injured in the fire at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Türkiye's Bolu province.

Aykhan Hajizada, spokesman for the ministry, provided the clarification in response to a media inquiry, Caliber.Az reports.

According to the latest reports, the tragic fire resulted in 66 fatalities and left 51 others injured to varying degrees. Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the blaze and assist the victims.

The fire erupted in the early hours of the morning on the fourth floor of a hotel located at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort. Local authorities reported that the blaze began around 03:30 AM local time, on the floor housing the hotel's restaurant. The fire quickly spread, prompting a large-scale emergency response with thirty fire engines and twenty-eight ambulances dispatched to the scene.

Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin stated that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, although he speculated that the fire likely originated in the area surrounding the hotel’s restaurant.

By Vafa Guliyeva