Unusual, Hotel Fire Trial In Turkey Kills 78 People Held In High School Building

Illustration of building fires. (Unsplash-Issy Bailey)

JAKARTA - The inaugural trial for the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu City, Tukri, which claimed the lives of 78 people, was held today.

This court venue is unusual, because it uses a sports building in one of the high schools (SMA) of Bolu City.

The Bolu High Court said that the use of the high school building for the trial of this case was due to the large number of defendants and plaintiffs '210 civil parties'.

There are as many as 32 defendants in this case. Of the total defendants, 13 of them were hotel owners, managers, council members, deputy mayors of Bolu, and two firefighters each charged with 78 charges, including "murder with the possibility of intent" to kill.

Before the trial was held, the victim's family gathered outside Bolu High School. They brought portraits of the victims while reading statements, accusing any safety violations and attempts to hide evidence.

During the fire, the owner, manager and employee of the Grand Kartal Hotel failed to notify guests or activate an alarm system. They rushed to save their car while our loved ones died in smoke, shouted the victim's family.

The inspection report made just one month before the fire clearly showed a lack of fire safety measures, but the hotel owner ignored it on the grounds that the move would be too expensive.