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A Turkish hotel owner and 10 other people have been jailed for life after the deadliest fire in the country’s history.
The fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu broke out during the school holidays in January and killed 78 people, including 34 children.
Owner Halit Ergül, his wife and two daughters received the maximum sentence after being found guilty of gross negligence, along with Bolu’s deputy mayor and the local fire chief.
A total of 32 people have been charged in the blaze that tore through the building in the early hours of the morning, prompting some residents to jump from the 12-storey building to escape the flames.
In addition, 137 people were injured in the fire in the northern mountain resort of Kartalkaya.
Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter, told AFP: “I go to the cemetery every day. No psychologist can ease such pain.”
An inquiry found that some safety devices did not work during the fire, which started in the hotel’s restaurant. Also, some of the building’s gas equipment does not meet safety standards.
Ergul denied responsibility. He said the hotel had regular inspections and blamed the gas supplier. He also said the Ministry of Tourism is responsible for supervision.
“If I had foreseen the risk, I would have closed the hotel myself,” he told the hearing, which took place in a purpose-built courtroom at a local school.
Another 18 defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 22 years. Most were hotel employees. Others were acquitted, including two cooks.
The Bolu Mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, which is about 170 kilometers (105 miles) away. At the time of the disaster, the hotel was operating at high occupancy as it was the start of the school holidays.
