Olympic alpine skier Berkin Usta25, he was tragically killed with his father in a fire that consumed a closed skiing station in the northwest region of Türkiye at dawn on Thursday.
Usta, who represented Turkey in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, He was staying at the KservanSaray hotel in Uludag, about three hours south of Istanbul, with his family when the fire began around 5:30 am
Berkin Usta of Türkiye reacts after his career at the Male Slalom giant running 2 at the Beijing Olympic Games on February 13, 2022. (Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay)
The Office of the Governor of Bursa said that 12 staff members were present at the time of the fire, and several people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation.
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USTA and his father, Yahya Usta, president of the Ski and Snowboard Turkish Association, were killed in the fire. It is believed that Yahya Usta’s wife survived the fire.
“We have learned with deep sadness that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games and the European Youth Winter Festival Erzurum 2017, and her father, former national skier Yahya Usta, died due to a hotel in Uludağ, Bursa,” said the Turkey team in Post in X.
“We want God’s mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and we offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community.”
Berkin Usta of Türkiye competes at the Male Giant Slalom at the National Ski Center Alpine at the Winter Olympic Games on February 13, 2022. (Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance through Getty Images)
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The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, also issued a statement after the tragic news.
“We have learned about the tragic death of Turkish Olympic skier Berkin Usta, and his father, in a terrible fire. Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Alpine skis. Our thoughts are with family and friends.”
Local officials believe that the fire began in the hotel cafeteria. The family stayed on the fifth floor of the hotel, despite the fact that its doors were closed permanently in early January after their accommodation permit was canceled. It was not clear immediately why they were at the hotel.
Berkin Usta of Türkiye competes at the Male Giant Slalom at the Beijing Olympic Games on February 13, 2022. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse)
The fire in the six -story and 30 -year -old hotel was taken in two hours, but not before the fire had consumed much of the upper floors.
The mortal fire on Thursday occurs only months after another Popular ski resort In the region it caught fire, killing 79 people in January.
