President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, January 22, sent his condolences to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogăn following a deadly fire that killed at least 76 people and injured dozens at a hotel in the western part of the country.

"My heartfelt condolences to President Recep Tayyip Erdogăn and the people of Türkiye for the tragic loss of life in the devastating fire at the ski resort in Bolu," Kagame wrote in a post on X.

"Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those affected by this tragedy. We extend our wishes for recovery to those injured."

My heartfelt condolences to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan @RTErdogan and the people of Türkiye for the tragic loss of life in the devastating fire at the ski resort in Bolu. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and all those affected by this tragedy. We extend our wishes...-- Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) January 22, 2025

President Erdogăn declared a day of national mourning on Wednesday following the deadly incident, which occurred during the peak of the winter tourism season.

The fire occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in the Bolu mountains.

Türkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Wednesday that the bodies of 45 victims had been handed over to their families as DNA tests were being carried out to identify the remaining bodies at a forensic institute, Reuters reported.

Yerlikaya said nine people, including the hotel's owner, had been detained in connection with the fire.

The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.

"We are cooperating 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 around 3:30 a.m. (2:30 am CAT).