Hotel fire at Turkish ski resort kills Olympic skier and father

A Turkish Olympic skier, along with his dad, died in a hotel fire at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey, according to officials. The hotel was not open to guests at the time of the incident.

The fire broke out early Thursday morning at the Kervansaray Hotel in the Uludağ region of Bursa province, a popular winter tourism destination. Two people were killed and several others were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.

The Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports confirmed the deaths of 25-year-old Berkin Usta, who represented Turkey in alpine skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and his father, Yahya Usta, a former national athlete and president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association.

According to a statement from the Bursa Governorship, the fire was reported at 5:29 a.m. local time. Fire crews and emergency personnel responded and evacuated 12 hotel staff members.

Officials said the hotel had its tourism operating license canceled earlier this year and was not open to guests. A government inspector has been assigned to investigate the incident.

The victims had reportedly been staying on the fifth floor along with Berkin’s mother, who survived, according to the Associated Press. Authorities have not said why the family was at the hotel or whether any of them were officially employed there.

The Uludağ fire comes just over two months after a separate hotel blaze at a ski resort in Kartalkaya killed 79 people and injured dozens more. That fire, one of the deadliest in recent Turkish history, prompted scrutiny of fire safety measures at winter resorts across the country. Investigations into both incidents remain ongoing.