Gail Downey: UK correspondent on the death toll from the Turkish ski resort fire

A huge fire killed at least 76 people as it ripped through a hotel at a popular ski resort in northern Turkey.

The blaze at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya broke out about 3.30am (12.30am GMT), sending huge clouds of smoke into the night air and sparking panic among the guests.

UK correspondent Gail Downey says several young children and teenagers were among those killed in the blaze - with forensic investigations ongoing.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Girl Downey from the UK. How are you.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Oh, I'm very well, Thank you, Andrew. How are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Do you have a favorite band song?

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Oh? I don't think I do. My music is tastes
are a bit kind of whatever's going on at the time.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Oh, okay, that's all good. I know it's very ancient,
the last Waltz and all. Then I saw some pictures
of that hotel fire at the ski resort in Turkey
that looked horrific.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Absolutely dreadful, and unfortunately the death toll has now risen
to seventy six people, including a ten year old girl
and her mother, a young chef, and a number of
teenagers who were there with their families. Two people who
died were trying to jump to safety, and you'll have
seen there as you say that the pictures are absolutely dreadful.

(00:46):
People were also seeing tying bed sheets together to escape
through the windows of their hotel rooms. It took twelve
hours to put out the fire, and it took an
hour for the fire service to arrive because of the
freezing conditions, it was difficult for them to get there.
Nine people have been arrested, including the owner of the hotel, and.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
It seemed like some of the people in hotels around
the hotel didn't seem to care.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Well, I couldn't say that, but because actually there have
been some reports of people actually trying to help. But
I guess the thing is that at a resort like
that and a fire that's so massive, what can you
actually do to help rather than hinder? You see what
I mean?

Speaker 1 (01:28):
All right? Okay? And of course it's nighttime and it's
cold because it's a ski resort. That makes sense. Now
Prince Harry is no longer suing the papers about the
phone tapping and all that, and there's now Talkie is
going to settle his case against the Sun publisher.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yes, we talked about this on Monday, didn't we, Because
the case was supposed to start then, and then that
got delayed, and then it was supposed to start yesterday.
But lawyers for both sides have twice asked to delay
the opening of the case because it turns out negotiations
are going ahead now. Whether the case will still go ahead,

(02:08):
who knows. But they asked for a third adjournment during
the day and the judge said no, the case has
to begin. But because by this time it's two o'clock
in the afternoon, the judge said, look, let's close it
for the day because you know you need to decide. However,
this morning the lawyers could appeal against the judge's decision

(02:28):
and ask for more time talks. So, as you said,
there is, you know, the potential of a settlement on
the cards. That certainly seems to be what they're thinking of.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
They're great a bit because Harry was one of the
last littergans standing and he has always said I'm doing this,
you know, for the good of society to hold these
people to account. And oh, how much money do you
want to offer me? Seems like that are bad play
with bad optics.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Well, it's an interesting one, is it, because he has
always said it's not about them money for him, and
that he is Him and Labor MP Tom Watson are
the only two people. Everybody else we're talking about, people
like Hugh Grant, who were thirteen hundred people who settled
the case. And Hugh Grant certainly said, you know, I

(03:16):
can't take it any further simply because of the costs
of going to court, whereas Prince Harry has said, look,
I'm doing this for everybody else, So we will see
what happens, But of course the case centers around the
illegal practices used by a handful of private investigators and
journalists at Newsgroup newspapers to pry into his private life.

(03:37):
What his claim is that it was more than just
a couple of bad apples, some of whom you know
have been jailed. He claims that it's been widespread.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Okay, And finally, benefit chiefs of the UK could heavy
driver's license taken off them?

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yes? This originally was a Tory government proposal has now
been brought back again to be discuss. The driving bank
could last up to two years and it's aimed at
those who repeatedly cheat the system and have debts so
they owe in benefit more than two thousand New Zealand
dollars or more. And the idea is that banks will

(04:14):
be forced to hand account information about benefit claimants to
help target investigations. It would also give the public sector
Fraud authority more time to investigate complex cases of fraud,
which they can be, as you know, very complex, which
took place during the pandemic. But it could face strong
opposition from banks and privacy campaigners who are worried it

(04:36):
could invade claimants' rights to financial privacy.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah yeah, okay, Gail. I thank you so much for
your time today and enjoy the risk of it. I've
talked to you soon.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
For more from Hither Duplessylan Drive, listen live to us Talks.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.