Turkish court sentences hotel owner and 10 others to life for deadly fire that killed 78
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court on Friday sentenced the owner of a ski resort hotel and 10 others to life in prison after convicting them of severe negligence in connection with a deadly fire that swept through the property, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The blaze hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu on Jan. 21 during the winter school break, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. A total of 34 children taking family vacations were among the victims.
The court convicted hotel owner Halit Ergul, along with his wife, two daughters, hotel managers, a deputy mayor and a deputy fire chief of negligence with “probable intent to kill.” They were each sentenced to life imprisonment for the deaths of the children, and received an additional 25 years in prison for the 44 other fatalities.
The defendants, who have rejected responsibility for the deaths, were expected to appeal the decision. The courtroom broke into applause after the verdicts were read, with families welcoming the sentence, Haberturk news channel reported.
The disaster forced terrified guests and hotel staff to leap from windows or dangle bedsheets to escape rooms engulfed in smoke and flames. It sent shockwaves across Turkey, sparking widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations.
Family members and friends of the victims staged demonstrations outside the courthouse during each hearing, holding up posters of their loved ones and demanding justice.
According to the indictment, the fire began at 3:17 a.m. when a spark from an electric grill ignited a garbage bin and ruptured a liquefied petroleum gas hose, triggering the blaze. Staff noticed the flames seven minutes later, but within two minutes, the fire had spread beyond control. Air from an open door accelerated the flames, which quickly engulfed the wooden ceiling.
Poor safety measures — including lack of smoke extraction, faulty alarms, inadequate staff training and missing sprinkler systems — allowed fumes to fill upper floors. Stairwells and elevator shafts acted like chimneys, and the absence of emergency lighting, signage and alternative exits prevented the safe evacuation of the hotel’s 238 guests, the indictment said.
The hotel first opened in 1999, and has been operated by Ergul’s company since 2007.