The blaze at the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel, which has wooden cladding, started at 3.27am, Ali Yerlikaya said on X.

Private NTV broadcaster said three people died after jumping from the hotel’s windows.

The resort is located on top of a mountain range about 170km northwest of the capital Ankara.

The fire, which is believed to have started in a restaurant at around midnight, spread quickly.

It was not immediately clear what caused it.

Television footage showed huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky with a snowcapped mountain behind the hotel.

Part of it backs onto a cliff, making it harder for firefighters to tackle the blaze.

Local media said 237 people were staying at the hotel, where the occupancy rate was between 80% and 90% due to the school holidays.

Those evacuated were rehoused in nearby hotels.

Justice minister Yilmaz Tunc said six prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.

The health, interior and culture ministers are expected to visit the site later in the day.