Latest news with #YahyaUsta
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic Skier Berkin Usta Killed Alongside His Dad in Hotel Fire
Originally appeared on E! Online Olympic skiers are mourning the loss of a young teammate. Berkin Usta, who represented Turkey in alpine skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and his father Yahya Usta died March 27 in a fire at a winter resort in Uludag, Turkey. Berkin was 24, while Yahya was 57. '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 in a statement on X March 27. 'May God have mercy on our athletes and offer my condolences to their families, loved ones and the entire sports community. May their resting place be heaven.' Turkey's Olympic team later added in its own statement on X, 'We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community.' More from E! Online Megan Fox Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Machine Gun Kelly Why Chris Hemsworth Will "Never Be Friends" With Billie Eilish After Oscars Selfie Babysitter Checking for Monsters Finds Man Hiding Under Child's Bed The fire erupted at Kervansaray Hotel—a once popular ski resort just hours outside of Istanbul— around 5:30 a.m. local time. The local Bursa governor's office told the Associated Press that the hotel was 'empty of guests' but 12 staff members were present. The 30-year-old hotel had shut down in January when its accommodation permit was cancelled, the governor's office told the Associated Press. (Authorities have not clarified whether the Usta family were employed by the hotel.) Berkin, Yahya and his mother Fikriye—who, according to multiple outlets, survived—were staying on the fifth floor of the residence. The fire broke out in the cafeteria and took two hours for fire crews to control the flames. An investigation has been launched with the hotel's manager detained, per Anadolu Agency. In the 2022 Olympics, Berkin competed in the giant slalom event—a skiing course consisting of a zigzag layout with upright obstacles. He placed 43rd overall in the event, and continued to work on his craft in the years following. He often shared photos on his Instagram of himself hitting the slopes, with his most recent post last month showing him alongside his skiing teammates, which he aptly captioned, '#team.' For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Fox News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Olympic skier Berkin Usta and father killed in fire at closed Turkish ski resort
Olympic alpine skier Berkin Usta, 25, was tragically killed alongside his father in a fire that consumed a closed ski resort in the northwest region of Turkey early Thursday morning. Usta, who represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, was staying at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, around three hours south of Istanbul, with his family when the blaze first started at around 5:30 a.m. The Bursa governor's office said that 12 staff members were present at the time of the fire, and several people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation. Usta and his father, Yahya Usta – president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association – were killed in the blaze. Yahya Usta's wife is believed to have survived the fire. "We have learned with deep sorrow that our national skier Berkin Usta, who represented our country at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and his father, former national skier Yahya Usta, passed away due to a hotel fire in Uludağ, Bursa," Team Turkey said in post on X. "We wish God's mercy to our national skier Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta, and offer our condolences to his family, loved ones and the sports community." IOC President Thomas Bach also released a statement following 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 at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing. Our thoughts are with their family and friends." Local officials believe the fire began in the hotel cafeteria. The family was staying on the fifth floor of the hotel, despite its doors being permanently shut in early January after its accommodation permit was canceled. It was not immediately clear why they were at the hotel. The fire at the six-story, 30-year-old hotel was put out within two hours, but not before the blaze had consumed much of the upper floors. Thursday's deadly fire comes just months after another popular ski resort in the region caught fire, killing 79 people in January. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Olympic skier from Turkey and his father killed in hotel fire
An Olympic skier and his father were killed Thursday in a fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey. The victims were identified by The Associated Press as Berkin Usta, 25, a skier who represented Turkey at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, and his father, Yahya Usta, 57, president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association. Turkey's sports minister, Osman Askin Bak, addressed the loss in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'I learned with deep sorrow the news that our national athlete Berkin Usta, who represented Türkiye at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and his father, former national athlete Yahya Usta, passed away in a fire that broke out in Bursa,' he said according to a translation. Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach also posted on X about the deaths, calling them tragic. Bach wrote, 'Berkin lived his Olympic dream by competing at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in Alpine skiing.' The skier and his father, whose wife, Fikriye, was said to have survived the fire, were all staying on the fifth floor of the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Turkey, according to the AP, even though the hotel had been shut down in early January when its accommodation permit was cancelled. Authorities have not made clear why they were there, the AP reported. The provincial governor's office told reporters a dozen staff members but no guests were at the hotel when the fire began at 5:30 a.m. Several people suffering smoke inhalation were hospitalized. Television coverage of the fire at the 30-year-old hotel, located on the slopes of a popular ski destination less than three hours from Istanbul, showed it was quickly engulfed by flames, according to the AP, which said the upper floors were gutted. An investigation has been launched and the hotel manager has been detained according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The deadly blaze comes two months after 79 people were killed in a fire that occurred during a school holiday at another Turkish winter resort. An investigation into the January 21 fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya has led to the detention of 28 people who are awaiting trial.
The Independent
27-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Olympic skier and father killed in fire at abandoned ski hotel in Turkey
An Olympic skier and his father have been killed in a fire at closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey – two months after a blaze at another Turkish winter resort left 79 dead. The victims were named as 25-year-old Berkin Usta, a skier who represented Turkey at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and his father Yahya Usta, 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,' Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak said. The Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province, was empty of guests when the fire started at 5.30 a.m. but 12 staff were present, Bursa governor's office said. Several people suffering smoke inhalation were hospitalised. Yahya Usta, his son and wife, who survived, were staying on the hotel's fifth floor. Authorities haven't said why they were staying at the hotel or if any of them were members of staff. Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey said that the blaze began in the cafeteria. Prosecutors have launched an investigation. The state-run Anadolu Agency later reported that the hotel manager had been detained. The 30-year-old hotel was shut down in early January when its accommodation permit was cancelled, the governor's office said. Television images showed flames quickly engulfing the six-story hotel, located on the slopes of one of Turkey's most popular ski destinations, less than a three-hour drive from Istanbul. Fire crews brought the blaze under control within two hours, but not before the upper floors had been gutted. In January, a 12-story ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey went up in flames during a school holiday, killing 79. The fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province's Koroglu mountains, also started in the hotel's dining area.
The Hill
27-03-2025
- Sport
- The Hill
A fire at a winter resort hotel in Turkey kills an Olympic skier and his father
ISTANBUL (AP) — A fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey killed an Olympic skier and his father Thursday, two months after a blaze at another Turkish winter resort left 79 dead. The victims were named as Yahya Usta, president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association, and his 25-year-old son Berkin Usta, a skier who represented Turkey at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. '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. The Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province, was empty of guests when the fire started at 5:30 a.m. but 12 staff were present, Bursa governor's office said. Several people suffering smoke inhalation were hospitalized. Yahya Usta, his son and wife, who survived, were staying on the hotel's fifth floor. Authorities haven't said why they were staying at the hotel or if any of them were members of staff. Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey said that the blaze began in the cafeteria. Prosecutors have launched an investigation. The state-run Anadolu Agency later reported that the hotel manager had been detained. The 30-year-old hotel was shut down in early January when its accommodation permit was canceled, the governor's office said. Television images showed flames quickly engulfing the six-story hotel, located on the slopes of one of Turkey's most popular ski destinations, less than a three-hour drive from Istanbul. Fire crews brought the blaze under control within two hours, but not before the upper floors had been gutted. In January, a 12-story ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey went up in flames during a school holiday, killing 79. The fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province's Koroglu mountains, also started in the hotel's dining area.
