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Nine suspects arrested for the fire in ski resort hotel of Turkey

WEB DESK: Turkey has detained nine people, including the owner of the hotel, in connection with a deadly fire  that claimed the lives of 76 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in western Turkey, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said early Wednesday.

Interior Minister Yerlikaya also reported that, bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families, while DNA tests were being conducted to identify the remaining bodies at the forensic institute.

The 12-story hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was engulfed in flames on the restaurant floor around 3:30 a.m. (0030 GMT), with 76 people confirmed dead in the accident.

In a statement, the hotel authorities expressed deep sorrow and promised full cooperation in the investigation

“We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” the statement said. “We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts.”

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a day of national mourning following the tragedy, which occurred during the peak of the winter tourism season, with many families from Istanbul and Ankara travelling to the Bolu mountains for skiing.