In Turkey, thirty-two individuals are on trial for a fire at a luxury ski resort hotel in January that claimed 78 lives, including 36 children, according to local media reports.
Entire families were lost as the devastating blaze swept through the Grand Kartal Hotel in the northern resort of Kartalkaya during the early hours of January 21.
Concerns have surged regarding the hotel’s fire safety measures, with victims’ families asserting that negligence played a significant role in the high death toll.
Over 130 people sustained injuries, and the 12-storey structure was completely destroyed.
Survivors and experts have reported that the hotel’s fire alarm system was non-functional.
A view of the ski resort’s facade after the fire.
According to the indictment, those facing manslaughter charges include the hotel’s owner, managers, board members, the deputy mayor of Bolu, and two fire department officials.
Prior to the hearing, victims’ families gathered outside the Bolu high school, where the trial is being held, holding portraits of their loved ones who perished.
They issued a statement outlining numerous safety violations and attempts to hide evidence.
“During the fire, the owners, managers, and staff of the Grand Kartal Hotel neglected to notify guests or activate the alarm system.
“Instead, they prioritized saving their own vehicles while our loved ones struggled against the smoke,” they alleged.
“An inspection report conducted just one month prior to the fire made it clear that fire safety measures were lacking, but the hotel’s owners chose to ignore it, claiming the necessary measures would be too expensive,” they stated.
“We are aware that authorities overlooked this negligence, that evidence was concealed, and that camera recordings were deleted.”
At the time of the fire, the tourism ministry and the Bolu city council blamed one another for the incident.
Given the large number of defendants and plaintiffs—210 civil parties—the Bolu High Criminal Court is convening in the gymnasium of the secondary school.
Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition CHP, is expected to attend the hearing, as confirmed by the social-democratic party.
The trial is anticipated to last for two weeks.
