Witnesses have described standing helplessly and paralyzed by the horror of people screaming for help or jumping out of windows as flames tore through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort.

Dozens of people were killed after a fire ripped through a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, forcing desperate holidaymakers to leap from windows to escape from the flames and smoke.

In the aftermath of the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a day of national mourning to be observed on Wednesday. Rescue teams and local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire,