The death toll has risen to 66 after a fire erupted in a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday (Jan 21), the interior ministry of Turkey said in a statement. Ali Yerlikaya told reporters," "66 citizens lost their lives and 51 others wounded." He further said, "Our pain is great." 

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The fire erupted at the Kartalkaya resort, which is constructed on a 170 kilometre area in the capital Ankara. 

A video of the incident surfaced online and showed smoke rising from the rooftop of the resort while windows showed a room in flames. Firefighters were seen rescuing people from the windows while multiple firefighting vehicles were seen on the road. 

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Witnesses at the site told news agency AFP that desperate guests tried escaping the fire using ropes and bedsheets as footage showed bedsheets hanging from the windows. The authorities even said some people died while trying to jump from the building in an attempt to escape. 

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The fire broke out at around 3:27 am (0027 GMT) in the 12-storey building. Around 230 people were staying at the hotel at the time of the incident. At least two people were reported dead while trying to jump the building. 

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"I heard screams around midnight, (hotel) residents were shouting for help," Baris Salgur, who works at a nearby hotel, told NTV television, according to AFP. 

"They asked for a blanket, saying they would jump ... we did what we could, we brought rope, pillows, we brought a sofa. Some people threw themselves once the flames approached them," he further added. 

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(With inputs from agencies)