A famous skier who represented Turkey in several international competitions, including the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, tragically died along with his father in a hotel fire that broke out early this morning in a hotel located in a well-known ski resort on Mount Uludağ, in the Turkish province of Bursa.
According to Turkish news agencies, the fire broke out at around 5:30 in the morning local time (3:30 CET) in the Kervansaray Hotel, which fortunately was closed to customers at the time of the fire, so that only the staff of the establishment itself were inside. The rapid intervention of the fire brigade allowed the flames to be extinguished in just an hour and a half, preventing them from spreading throughout the building.
A total of 12 people were inside the hotel when the fire broke out, three of whom had to be hospitalised for smoke inhalation: the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers’ Association, Yahya Usta, his wife Fikriye Usta and their son Berkin Usta. Finally, and despite the treatment received, 57-year-old Yahya and his 25-year-old son Berkin lost their lives. In a statement, the hotel reported that the fire started on an outdoor terrace, although several media outlets claim that the fire may have broken out after a barbecue that the staff lit on the roof.
The 30-year-old Kervansaray Hotel had been closed since the Turkish authorities stepped up safety inspections following the terrible fire at the end of January that left 78 people dead and 51 injured at the Grand Kartal Hotel, located in a well-known ski resort in the province of Bolu. The Grand Kartal fire sparked outrage in Turkish society when it was discovered that the hotel was still operating normally despite the fact that it lacked basic safety measures, leaving many questions unanswered about the efficiency of the inspections.
Berkin Usta, the younger of the two who died in the hotel fire, was a well-known Turkish skier who had represented Turkey in several international ski competitions, following in his father’s footsteps. Among other milestones, in 2017 he achieved the best result in the history of Turkey in the men’s giant slalom event during the European Youth Winter Olympic Festival, and in 2021 he won the silver medal in the Anatolian Alpine Skiing Cup. He was also one of seven athletes to represent Turkey at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games in 2022.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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