President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to visit Bola on Wednesday, said those responsible for the negligence that led to the fire “will be held accountable.”
Across Turkey, flags are flying at half-mast in memory of the victims of the fire as the first funerals take place.
Search and rescue teams are making last-ditch efforts to find the remains of the bodies.
According to Health Minister Kemal Memisaglu, in addition to the dead, 51 people were injured in the fire. One was being treated in the intensive care unit, 17 people were discharged.
Footage circulating in Turkey shows laundry hanging from windows used by those trying to escape from the burning building.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports said the fire broke out in the restaurant area of the fourth floor of the hotel and spread to the floors above.
Governor Bolu said the hotel’s remote location and freezing temperatures meant it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive.
The hotel was last inspected in 2024 and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns about the hotel’s fire safety before Tuesday’s disaster.
However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that an automatic fire extinguishing system was required by regulations, and photos of the hotel showed that one was not installed.
It added that it was unclear whether other rules were followed, but based on statements from survivors, “it is clear that detection and warning systems failed and evacuation routes could not be determined.”
The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, which is about 170 km (105 miles) away, and the resort was busy at the start of the two-week school holidays.
