The regional mayor detained after a fire at a ski-resort killed 76 guests in Turkey's Bolu province claims the accusations against him are false.

Dozens of people were killed after a fire ripped through a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, forcing desperate holidaymakers to leap from windows to escape from the flames and smoke.

Officials in Turkey say that a fire has raged through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in the northwestern part of the country during a school holiday, killing at least 76 people.

A tragic fire has occurred at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the northwestern part of Turkey. The death toll has already risen to 76 people, including entire families and many children. A national day of mourning has been declared in the country.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Local media suggested that the wooden cladding on the hotel's exterior may have accelerated the spread of the fire. View on euronews

In the aftermath of the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a day of national mourning to be observed on Wednesday. Rescue teams and local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire,

Witnesses have described standing helplessly and paralyzed by the horror of people screaming for help or jumping out of windows as flames tore through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort

A fire that erupted in ski resort in Turkey's Bolu mountains killed at least 66 people, the cause of the fire is under investigation.