The fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the Kartalkaya resort of Bolu province, authorities and reports said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the Interior Ministry said.
Minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured.
"We are suffering a lot. Unfortunately, we lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out in this hotel," Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the scene.
🇹🇷 | BREAKING: Death toll rises to 66 in Turkish ski resort hotel fire, interior minister says. pic.twitter.com/h3qF1LLlU8
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) January 21, 2025
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition.
Two people died after they jumped out of the building in panic, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told state-run Anadolu news agency.
Turkish private television NTV reported that some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.
According to the same source, there were 234 guests in the hotel at the time of the fire.
