Ankara — A Turkish provincial court has sentenced 11 individuals, including the owner of a 12-story hotel, to life imprisonment over a devastating fire that claimed 78 lives and injured 137 others, including 34 children, earlier this year.
According to international media reports, the tragedy occurred at the start of the year when a massive blaze engulfed the hotel. Investigations revealed that gross negligence by the hotel’s management and staff was the primary cause of the high death toll.
The court found that the hotel lacked basic emergency preparedness, including fire safety systems and evacuation protocols. The ruling stated that the owner bore primary responsibility, and the staff was inexperienced and ill-equipped to handle the crisis, which contributed to the scale of the disaster.
The verdict also criticized government departments for issuing operational permits despite the hotel’s failure to meet safety standards, highlighting systemic lapses in regulatory oversight.
This landmark judgment underscores the growing demand for accountability in public safety and building code enforcement across Turkey.
