A Turkish court has sentenced the owner of a ski resort hotel and ten others to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of gross negligence in connection with a devastating fire that killed 78 people, including 34 children, at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the province of Bolu earlier this year.
The tragedy occurred on January 21 at the popular Kartalkaya ski resort during the winter school holidays, when the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel caught fire in the early hours of the morning. The blaze spread rapidly through the wooden structure, leaving guests trapped inside as smoke and flames filled the building. Another 133 people were injured in the inferno.
Hotel Owner, Officials, and Family Convicted
According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, the court convicted hotel owner Halit Ergul, his wife, two daughters, hotel managers, a deputy mayor, and a deputy fire chief on charges of negligence with probable intent to kill.
Each defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment for the deaths of the 34 children and received an additional 25 years for the remaining 44 fatalities.
The verdict drew emotional reactions in the courtroom, with victims’ families breaking into applause as the sentences were announced. Many had gathered outside the courthouse holding photos of their loved ones and banners demanding justice.
The convicted individuals, all of whom denied wrongdoing, are expected to appeal the ruling.
Cause of the Fire and Safety Failures
Investigators determined that the fire started at 3:17 a.m., when a spark from an electric grill ignited a garbage bin and ruptured a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) hose, setting off a powerful blaze.
Hotel staff noticed the fire seven minutes later, but by then, flames had already spread uncontrollably. An open door intensified the fire, drawing in oxygen and accelerating its spread across the wooden ceilings.
The indictment revealed a long list of safety violations that contributed to the disaster, including:
- No functional smoke extraction system
- Faulty fire alarms
- Lack of sprinkler systems
- Poorly trained staff
- Absence of emergency lighting and signage
The report noted that stairwells and elevator shafts acted as chimneys, funneling smoke to upper floors, while the lack of alternate exits made escape impossible for many of the hotel’s 238 guests.
National Outcry and Calls for Reform
The incident sent shockwaves across Turkey, prompting widespread outrage and demands for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations in commercial buildings.
The Grand Kartal Hotel, first opened in 1999, has been operated by Ergul’s company since 2007. The case has since become one of the country’s most significant examples of corporate accountability for mass casualty negligence, echoing similar disasters that exposed systemic failures in safety oversight.
As families continue to mourn, Turkish authorities have pledged to conduct nationwide inspections of hotels and public facilities to prevent similar tragedies.
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