Anger was growing in Turkey on Wednesday as allegations piled up that negligence played a role in the deaths of 79 people who perished when a huge fire swept through a luxury ski resort hotel in northern Turkey.

With the nation observing a day of mourning, grieving families began burying their dead as questions multiplied about fire safety measures at the 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel perched on a mountaintop in the Kartalkaya resort.

The fire, which began in the dead of night, struck at peak season for the Grand Kartal Hotel, which had 238 guests staying at the start of a two-week winter break.

At a funeral in the nearby town of Bolu for eight members of the same family who died in the blaze, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could be seen wiping away tears, his head bowed.

On a freezing foggy morning, with flags flying at half-mast, rescuers resumed their search of the charred and blackened structure.

Among those being buried was a neurologist, his wife and their three children, including twin boys.

The blaze broke out around 3:30am local time, sending huge clouds of smoke into the night air and sparking panic among the guests, many of whom tried to climb out of the windows, using bedsheets as ropes.

"I saw one kid hanging from the hotel window calling for help," said Islam, who works at a nearby hotel and did not give his surname.

"I was profoundly disturbed. I still cannot forget the image," he said, adding he knew some of the hotel staff who died.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said nine people, including the owner, had been arrested in connection with the blaze.

Tourism Minister Nuri Ersoy said on Tuesday the hotel had two fire escapes and had passed inspections in 2021 and 2024. (AFP)