Outrage over alleged safety failures at a 12-storey hotel in Turkey has escalated into a political clash between the government and the opposition-run local authorities, after a fire killed 79 people and injured more than 50.

A fire engulfed a hotel at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday, killing 10 people died and injuring 32 others, the interior minister said.The health, interior and culture ministers are expected to visit the site later in the day. fo/hmw/ach

ANKARA, Turkey — A fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 66 people — at least two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.

The fire in the 12-story hotel was reported at 3:27 a.m., and the fire department began to respond at 4:15 a.m., a government official said.

A day of mourning is under way in Turkey for the 79 victims of a fire that engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in the country's north-west. The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.

Anger was growing in Turkey on Wednesday as allegations piled up that negligence played a role in the deaths of 79 people who perished when a huge fire swept through