Earthquake - Construction defects at the hotel? Major trial after quake in Turkey
Eleven months after the severe earthquakes in Turkey, the collapse of a hotel and the deaths of young volleyball players are to be investigated in the first major trial.
Today, a hotel owner and ten other defendants are on trial in Adiyaman in southern Turkey. The public prosecutor's office accuses them of being responsible for the deaths of 72 people. According to experts, the hotel had massive construction defects.
Accusation of the public prosecutor
The four-star hotel collapsed in the early morning quake on February 6, 2023, burying two volleyball school teams from Northern Cyprus with 26 children, among others. A group of tour guides who were on a training course were also buried. The youngest victim was ten years old. Parents of the victims and observers from Northern Cyprus traveled to the trial. They tearfully held up signs with pictures of their dead children in front of the court in Adiyaman.
Rusen Karakaya, who lost her 14-year-old daughter, said: "Everyone who built the Grand Isias Hotel is guilty." She will not rest until those responsible, from the builder to those who issued the permit, are held accountable, she said.
The public prosecutor's office accuses the defendants of deliberately causing death by negligence and injuring more than one person. The defendants face more than 22 years in prison in the extreme case. Five of them, including the hotel owner who acted as the builder and the architect, are in custody. They deny the accusations.
Construction defects and planning errors
In view of the construction defects and planning errors, the relatives are demanding an indictment for alleged intent. This would result in harsher penalties. A separate investigation is to clarify the responsibility of the authority employees who issued the permits.
On February 6, a 7.7-magnitude quake struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria at 4.17 a.m., followed by another 7.6-magnitude quake in the afternoon of the same day. According to government figures, around 50,800 people lost their lives in Turkey alone. According to an official report, more than 35,000 buildings collapsed completely and tens of thousands more were damaged.
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- Despite the public prosecutor's accusations of negligence, the hotel owner and ten other defendants in the trial in Cyprus assert their innocence, claiming no responsibility for the massive construction defects that contributed to the hotel's collapse during the earthquake.
- The Grand Isias Hotel, located in southern Turkey, had numerous construction defects and planning errors, rendering it vulnerable to the severe earthquakes that struck the region in February 2023.
- Victims' families from Northern Cyprus, among them parents of the deceased young volleyball players, traveled to Istanbul's public prosecutor's office to demand justice and hold accountable those responsible for the construction defects that resulted in the tragic losses.
- In the face of public scrutiny and pressure, the public prosecutor's office in Istanbul is reportedly exploring the possibility of indicting the defendants for intent, which could potentially lead to harsher penalties if charged and convicted.
- According to experts, the construction of the Grand Isias Hotel, which housed two school teams from Northern Cyprus, was built on fault lines in the region, increasing its vulnerability to earthquakes and contributing to its collapse during the disastrous quakes in Turkey.
- The Turkey-Cyprus hotel trial marks a significant milestone in the quest for justice for the families of the victims, raising awareness about the importance of strict building codes and regulatory oversight to prevent future construction defects and minimize the impact of natural disasters.
Source: www.stern.de
