Earthquake - Construction defects at the hotel? Major trial begins 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 dealt with 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.
The public prosecutor's accusation
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. Numerous relatives from Northern Cyprus traveled to the start of the trial. They are demanding justice for their children.
The public prosecutor's office is accusing 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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- The collapse of the hotel in southern Turkey during the February 6 earthquake in Turkey resulted in fatalities, including volleyball players from Northern Cyprus.
- The public prosecutor's office in Istanbul is currently overseeing a major trial regarding the hotel collapse, with accusations of deliberate negligence leading to deaths and injuries.
- The hotel under investigation in Adiyaman, Turkey, had significant construction defects, as indicated by experts, which contributed to the structure's collapse.
- Relatives of the victims, primarily from Northern Cyprus, are demanding justice and seeking harsher penalties for the defendants due to alleged intent behind the construction defects.
- In addition to this trial, authorities are conducting a separate investigation into the responsibility of Turkish officials who issued permits for the hotel's construction, amid concerns about planning errors and potential negligence.
Source: www.stern.de
