A Turkish court has sentenced a ski resort owner and ten others — including several family members — to life in prison for a devastating hotel fire that claimed 78 lives earlier this year in northwest Turkey.
According to state media, the 11 defendants received aggravated life sentences, the country’s harshest penalty, requiring a minimum of 30 years in prison before parole eligibility. The sentence covers the deaths of 34 children, with an additional 25 years added for the deaths of 44 adults, according to the Associated Press.
Among those convicted were resort owner Halit Ergul, his wife and two daughters, along with a deputy mayor, a deputy fire chief, and multiple hotel managers. The court found them guilty of negligence with probable intent to kill.
The tragedy unfolded on January 21 at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the mountain resort of Kartalkaya, roughly 200 miles east of Istanbul. The fire broke out around 3:17 a.m. in the hotel restaurant during the school holiday season, when the building was packed with families, Reuters reported.
Prosecutors said faulty fire alarms and sprinkler systems failed to activate, while inadequate safety measures allowed smoke to engulf the upper floors of the 12-story structure. With emergency exits blocked or inaccessible, many guests were forced to jump from windows to escape. At least 137 people were injured in the chaos.
Eighteen others, mostly hotel employees, received prison terms ranging from 12 to 22 years, while three defendants, including two cooks, were acquitted, according to AFP.
Survivors and victims’ families delivered emotional testimony during the trial. “I go to the cemetery every day. No psychologist can ease such a pain,” said Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and 9-year-old daughter in the fire.