Hotel Fire Kills Olympic Skier in Turkey
A fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey on Thursday, March 27, 2025 killed an Olympic skier and his father, only months after a similar incident killed more than 70 people at another Turkish ski hotel, according to several news reports.According to the FIS, the 25-year-old son, Berkin Usta, competed in slalom and giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games while representing Turkey. In slalom, he didn't finish. In giant slalom, he placed 43rd. Berkin's last recorded race, an FIS slalom in Zagreb-Sljeme, Croatia, was in 2023.Berkin's father, Yahya, was the president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association, the Associated Press reports.'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,' Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak said, according to the Associated Press.
Yahya, his son, and his wife were staying on the fifth floor of the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province when the fire broke out. His wife survived the blaze.The fire began in the hotel's cafeteria area, authorities said, according to the Associated Press. It was contained within two hours.While the hotel was closed, there were 12 employees present at 5:30 a.m. when the fire began. Authorities haven't clarified if Yahya and his family were employees or why they were staying at the hotel. After the blaze, several people who inhaled smoke were hospitalized, the Associated Press reports.The hotel closed in January after its operating permits were canceled.An investigation by prosecutors into the cause of the fire is underway. The hotel's manager has been detained, according to the Anadolu Agency, a state-run Turkish newsgroup.The deaths of Berkin and Yayha Usta follows another fire at a ski resort hotel—the Grand Kartal in Turkey's Koroglu mountains—which killed more than 70 people in January. The Grand Kartal fire was also said to have started in the cafeteria.After new arrests on Wednesday connected to the Grand Kartal fire, 28 people were being held in detention as they awaited trial, the Associated Press reports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
35 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Athletes Unlimited Softball League opens with high hopes and support from MLB and USA Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Athletes Unlimited Softball League made its debut after a year of buildup and a recent collaboration with Major League Baseball. The Bandits beat the Talons 3-1 in the first game Saturday in Rosemont, Illinois. The Volts were set to play the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas later in the day. 'I kind of feel like we blinked and it was here,' Cat Osterman, general manager of the Volts, said. 'But then there were moments where it felt like we weren't ever going to get here either because it took a whole year of process. We're all excited.' Athletes Unlimited has featured softball since 2020, when it unveiled a unique format that crowned an individual champion. The organization that focuses exclusively on women's sports now has launched a traditional four-team softball league in a traveling format. The Blaze, Volts, Bandits and Talons will play 24 games each, touring to 12 cities. The top two teams will compete in the best-of-three AUSL Championship from July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. MLB said last month that it is making a strategic investment in the league. It will include an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility. It will market the AUSL and its athletes during its All-Star Game, throughout the postseason and during broadcasts on the MLB Network and streams on USA Softball executive director Craig Cress likes the fact that a league with MLB's backing exists for players to join after their college careers. He sees it as an opportunity to keep the top American players facing elite competition so Team USA will be ready for Olympic softball that will be played in Oklahoma City in 2028. Japan has won the past two Olympic gold medals in the sport. Cress said he hopes the AUSL emerges as something comparable to Japan's well-established softball leagues. 'We have a great respect and a great rivalry,' Cress said of the history with Japan. 'But this Olympics on our home soil is our gold medal. We need to go get it. So from that standpoint, I know we've got a long way to go, but that's the end goal.' Cress said it was smart for Athletes Unlimited to add former MLB executive Kim Ng as commissioner and to seek out the league as a partner. He hopes the AUSL can catch fire the way the WNBA has the past two years with Caitlin Clark. 'The WNBA is now starting to really do some things with the star power they have coming in,' he said. 'But what got them to the point to be able to keep their athletes from going overseas to play? It was the involvement of the NBA.' There are indicators that this league could last longer than those that have come and gone over the years, starting with the well-structured support system, stability and the experience Athletes Unlimited had with the sport before launching this league. 'I think that one thing you hear about Athletes Unlimited from anybody that's been around it is we've done what we said we were going to do," Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof said. 'We've been around now for five years.' Bri Ellis, who was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for Arkansas this season, played for the Talons on Saturday after being the No. 2 overall pick in the AUSL draft last month. She said she's thrilled about the timing of the league's rollout. 'It was kind of this relief that I don't have to be done now,' she said. 'I can keep going and keep playing and there's still a story to be written for me in my career, and so I'm just really grateful for everyone that's come before me and has worked their tails off to get the sport to where it is now." ___
Fox Sports
40 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Ilhee Lee takes 1-shot lead over 4 players into the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic
Associated Press GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Ilhee Lee shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday in the ShopRite LPGA Classic in a round delayed by rain in the afternoon to take a one-stroke lead over four players into the final round. Tied for the first-round lead with Elizabeth Szokol after a 63, Lee rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 eighth with a closing birdie on the par-5 ninth. The 36-year-old South Korean player had an 11-under 131 total on Seaview's Bay Course. 'Today was totally different day, completely different day, and I knew it was going to be completely different day, so I didn't have any expectations,' Lee said. 'Just like I did yesterday, I was just playing golf. Have fun out there. Made some birdies on first nine. ' She won the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for her lone tour title. 'Now I know how fun this game is, so I'm just enjoying golf,' Lee said. Szokol had a 69 to drop into a tie for second in the 54-hole event with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho (64) and Japanese players Mao Saigo (65) and Ayaka Furue (66). 'Just trying to stay patient all day,' Szokol said. 'Didn't quite have things go as great as yesterday but still playing really good golf.' Kupcho birdied the final two holes in her late afternoon round. 'I think a little bit of improvement to be made tomorrow,' Kupcho said. 'Wasn't hitting the ball super great off the tee, but at least out here it's manageable out of the rough or fairway bunkers. Was just really giving myself opportunities.' Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul shot her second 68 to get to 6 under, while No. 1 Nelly Korda was 5 under after a 66. 'Very happy with how I played today, the past two days,' Korda said. 'It's a tricky golf courses. Keeps you on your toes all the time.' Maja Stark, the U.S. Women's Open winner last week at Erin Hills, missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. Defending champion Linnea Strom also dropped out, shooting 72-75. ___ AP golf:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Adam 'Pacman' Jones arrested, facing multiple charges: What we know
Adam 'Pacman' Jones arrested, facing multiple charges: What we know Show Caption Hide Caption NFL players can now partake in Olympic flag football Olympic flag football, which will make it's debut at the 2028 summer games, just got bumped up a level after the NFL agreed to let its players partake. Sports Pulse Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones is facing new criminal charges in Northern Kentucky, the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports. Jail records show that Jones was booked into Kenton County Jail on June 7 and is facing charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer. The former Bengals player was arrested by Covington police and booked at 1:51 a.m. ET. Records show that Jones was later released after posting bond at 11:32 a.m. ET. Covington police officers were called to the Second Story Bar on West Sixth Street at approximately 12:44 a.m. on June 7 following a report of a "disturbance involving a customer and an employee," police said in a news release. When police arrived, they were alerted to a car trying to leave the area, per the release. Officers conducted a traffic stop and the 41-year-old Jones was identified as a passenger. Police arrested Jones "on charges related to his level of intoxication and his behavior," according to the release. Officials said he'd been consuming alcohol. Jones was transported to the Kenton County Detention Center and assaulted the arresting officer while being lodged, police say. Officials said it caused a minor injury. "The Covington Police Department takes incidents of this nature very seriously. We are committed to maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of all who live in or visit Covington," the department said. "Adam Jones is being held to the same standard of conduct as any other individual in our community." Jones has a history of legal issues. He was arrested in November for an altercation at a Dallas hotel following the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight. A year earlier, Jones pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge in Boone County District Court. The former Bengals standout was arrested early Sept. 11 after Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport police responded to a call about an unruly passenger on a United Airlines flight, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but that sentence was conditionally discharged for two years, provided Jones avoided new criminal charges. USA TODAY reached out to the Covington Police Department for comment. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
