Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Türkiye has arrested 15 people as part of an investigation into a fire that killed 78 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains earlier this week, state media reported on Sunday.

The tragedy has sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Türkiye, lacked basic fire safety measures.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Türkiye 's judiciary was working to punish all those responsible for the incident. The hotel's management has pledged full cooperation.
On Sunday, Türkiye 's state-owned Anadolu news agency said the hotel's owner, manager, director, and 12 others were arrested as part of the probe. According to Reuters, itt said judicial proceedings continued for the deputy mayor of the Bolu province and the head of the local fire department, while six others were released under certain conditions.
The blaze started in the restaurant floor of the 12-story building, which had 238 registered guests, at around 3:30 a.m.



Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Detains 282 Suspects in Large-scale Operation Against PKK

Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB) gather to protest talks, supported by the government, with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to seek an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and Turkish state in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish police have detained 282 suspects in the past five days in a large-scale operation targeting the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
The suspects were detained across 51 provinces, the minister said on the X social media platform.
The detentions came despite renewed efforts between Ankara and the PKK to resolve a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. These efforts are expected to include a call by the PKK’s imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for his group to lay down arms.
According to The Associated Press, Yerlikaya said those detained are suspected of providing financial support to the PKK, recruiting members, engaging in propaganda and participating in violent street protests.
Police seized two AK-47 assault rifles and other weapons during the raids, the minister said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has widened a crackdown on the opposition in recent months, arresting journalists and politicians among others.
Several elected Kurdish mayors have been ousted from office and replaced with state appointed officials for alleged links to the PKK. The latest was on Saturday, when the mayor of Van municipality in eastern Türkiye was removed from his post and replaced with the state-appointed governor.