Turkish president tears up during burial service of ski resort fire victims

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was moved to tears during a farewell ceremony for the victims of the hotel fire at a ski resort in the North-West of the country that claimed 76 lives.

President Erdoğan was accompanied by Türkiye's First Lady Emine Erdoğan when visiting the families of the victims ahead of the burial service, Caliber.Az reports citing Turkish media outlets. 

The burials took place at the Kılıçarslan Cemetery in the district of the same name on January 22, a day that has been declared by Erdoğan a national day of mourning in Türkiye.

As Caliber.Az recalls, a devastating fire engulfed an 11-story hotel in Türkiye’s Bolu province in the early hours on January 21. According to authorities, a total of 76 people have been found dead so far, including many children, with dozens more injured. 

In connection with the tragedy, the Bolu Chief Prosecutor's Office detained 11 individuals, including the Deputy Mayor, the city’s Fire Department Chief as well as executives from the ski resort. 

By Nazrin Sadigova