Court orders more arrests over Kartalkaya fire

BOLU

A court has issued arrest decisions for six individuals, including the hotel owner's daughter and spouse, in connection with the devastating fire at the renowned ski resort of Kartalkaya earlier this year.

The inferno, which erupted in the kitchen of the Grand Kartal Hotel on Jan. 21 in the northern province of Bolu, killed 78 people, including 36 children.

In the wake of the catastrophe, fierce debates ensued regarding institutional culpability for the disaster.

Reports published thus far have ascribed varying degrees of responsibility to the hotel management and staff, the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Labor and Social Security Ministry, the Bolu Municipality’s fire department, the Bolu Special Provincial Administration and regulatory firms tasked with conducting safety inspections at the establishment.

The chain of negligence within the hotel, deemed the primary contributor to the staggering death toll, provoked nationwide outrage. Shortly after the fire, the hotel’s owner was arrested.

On March 26, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç vowed to pursue accountability relentlessly.

"No matter where the trail leads, we will follow it to the end. Those responsible for the deaths of these 78 souls must be held to account," he declared.

Tunç had previously stated that a public lawsuit would be initiated upon the submission of the expert report on the fire.