Turkish President Erdogan attends funeral of hotel fire victims

Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan and his wife attended a funeral in Bolu to commemorate eight people who lost their lives in a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort.

The huge fire killed 76 people at the 12-storey hotel on Tuesday, raising questions over safety measures at the luxury establishment.The fire, which began in the middle of the night, struck at peak season for the hotel, with 238 guests staying for the winter school holidays which began on Friday.

Tourism Minister on Tuesday said that the hotel had passed an inspection last year and had two fire escapes, saying "no issues related to fire safety had been flagged by the fire department".