Olympic Skier Tragically Killed At 24 In Hotel Fire
03/27/2025 03:19 PM
An Olympic skier was killed, along with his father, in a hotel fire in Turkey Thursday.
Berkin Usta, 24, who competed in the slalom and giant slalom at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, died when a blaze swept through the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag. His father Yahya also passed away, while Yahya's wife and Berkin's mother survived the fire. The family was reportedly staying on the fifth floor of the facility, which had been shut down in early January when it had its accommodation permit voided
Yahya Usta was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association.
"I learned with deep sorrow that our national athlete Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the hotel," Turkish Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak said, via the Associated Press.
In addition to the deaths of Berkin and Yahya, 12 other people were injured in the tragedy, according to reports. There were no guests in the building when the fire broke out, but staff was present.
It's unclear why the Ustas were staying in the facility if it was not open.
The fire reportedly started in the cafeteria and was brought under control in two hours, but not before the building's upper floors were gutted.
"Prosecutors have launched an investigation. The state-run Anadolu Agency later reported that the hotel manager had been detained," said the AP.
This is the second deadly hotel fire in Turkey in the first three months of 2025. In January, more than 70 people died in a blaze at the Grand Kartal in northwestern Turkey.
