72 dead after collapse – first major lawsuit: hotel owner in court over the Turkish earthquake

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A hotel owner and ten other defendants have been charged since Wednesday for the collapse of a four-star hotel and the deaths of 72 people in the city of Adiyaman. According to experts, the hotel showed major construction defects.

The victims included 26 girls and boys from Northern Cyprus who had traveled to Turkey for a school volleyball tournament. Parents of the victims and observers from Northern Cyprus traveled to the trial. They tearfully held placards with photos of their dead children outside the court in Adiyaman.

Rusen Karakaya, who lost her 14-year-old daughter, said: “Everyone who built the Grand Isias Hotel is guilty.” It will not rest until those responsible, from the builder to those who granted the permit, are held accountable.

The Public Prosecution Service accuses the suspects of manslaughter by conscious negligence and injuring more than one person. The suspects risk a prison sentence of 22 years or even more. Five of them, including the hotel owner and the architect, are in custody. They were not present on the first day of the trial, but were connected via video. A separate investigation will clarify the responsibility of the authority employees who issued permits.

On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook southeastern Turkey and northern Syria in the morning, followed by another magnitude 7.6 earthquake in the afternoon of the same day. According to government figures, around 50,800 people died in Turkey alone.

(SDA)

Source: Blick