A fire at a ski resort hotel in Turkey on Tuesday claimed the lives of at least 66 people and left 51 others injured, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya said after inspecting the scene at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu province. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu reported that at least one of the injured is in a critical condition.

The interior minister said authorities have moved 267 emergency personnel to respond to the fire incident. Also Turkiye’s interior, Health and Tourism ministers were heading to the Kartalkaya resort and would most probably address a press conference later on Tuesday as per a CNN report.

The resort is a popular winter destination, especially during the school holidays, which start in January and end in the first week of February, according to the report. Governor Abdulaziz Aydin confirmed that approximately 234 guests were staying at the hotel, as reported by CNN, citing Anadolu Agency.

Aydin explained that two of the victims died after leaping from the building “in panic.” Several videos, some shared on social media and others broadcast by Turkish TV stations, captured flames coming from the upper floors of the hotel. The footage showed some individuals attempting to escape the fire by using bed sheets tied together.

(With ANI Inputs)