Scores were killed after a fire engulfed a hotel in the Turkish ski resort of Bolu in the early hours of today (January 21). There were 66 dead and at least 51 injured, interior ministry officials said.

Two or more died after jumping from windows, while others hung sheets from windows that they used in desperate attempts to escape the flames and intense smoke that spread through the 12-storey building, according to local media.

Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin told reporters that the substantial distance between the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya and the centre of Bolu—a northwestern town located around 170 kilometres (105 miles) from Ankara—combined with freezing weather conditions, meant fire engines did not reach the scene for more than an hour.

There were some reports quoting witnesses who said the hotel’s fire detection system did not operate.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.

Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor based at the hotel, told NTV he was asleep when the fire started. He said he rushed out of the building and then helped around 20 guests to exit the premises. “I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” he said.

The fire broke out at around 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT), with initial reports suggesting the blaze started in a restaurant on the fourth floor before spreading to the floors above.

Television pictures showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire.

Turkey is at the start of a busy holiday period with a two-week school break. The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the capital Ankara. The hotel was at high-occupancy with 234 guests, Aydin said.

By mid-morning, rescue teams were still trying to access parts of the hotel.

Meanwhile, four were injured in a gas explosion at a hotel at another ski resort in central Turkey. The explosion occurred at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas province. Two skiers and their instructor were slightly injured. Another instructor suffered second-degree burns to the hands and face, according to the Sivas governor’s office.