Yerlikaya reported the 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 fire occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains.
The hotel is located at a ski resort in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey. (AP PHOTO)
The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full co-operation with the investigation.
"We are co-operating 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."
The 12-storey hotel, which had 238 registered guests, was consumed by flames after the fire started on the restaurant floor early Tuesday.
Authorities are facing growing criticism over the hotel's safety measures, as survivors reported that no fire alarms went off during the incident. Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.
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.
Erdogan said those responsible for the tragedy would be brought to justice.
"Those responsible for the disaster in Bolu will be brought to justice" — Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (@trpresidency) https://t.co/gR1YtguAqM pic.twitter.com/5psjkDDotcJanuary 21, 2025
Survivors described scenes of panic as they fled through smoke-filled corridors and jumped from windows to escape.
"People all started to jump with panic. One friend jumped from the 11th floor - may God have mercy on him," said Omer Sakrak, another witness and employee of a neighbouring hotel.
"They tried to climb down using bedsheets. The bedsheets ripped as one friend tried ... and he unfortunately fell on his head," he told Reuters.
"One father was yelling about his one year-old child: 'I will throw my child or he will burn'."
Hotel guests told TV broadcasters they fled through smoke-filled corridors and heard no alarms.
Yerlikaya said there had been 238 guests staying at the hotel, situated at the base of several ski slopes, which smouldered until the afternoon.
"Our pain is impossible to describe," he said, speaking from the resort and offering condolences.
with AP and DPA
