No grounds for case against accident-hit construction site owners: Istanbul prosecutor

ISTANBUL

Police officers stand guard in front of the Torunlar Center, Sept. 8. REUTERS Photo

The indictment prepared regarding a September elevator accident in Istanbul, which killed 10 workers at a construction site, has stated that there is a lack of grounds for legal action against the owners of the Torun Center. 

Istanbul Public Prosecutor Erdal Bağcı, who prepared the 31-page indictment, did not press charges against the Torunlar GYO senior executives, the Torun Center’s project coordinator, or the occupational health and safety specialist. Other suspects have been charged with the reckless killing of 10 people.  

Torunlar GYO Chairman Aziz Torun, Board Member and Vice General Manager Yunus Emre Torun, and Deputy Chairman Mehmet Torun are among the nine suspects who have had charges dropped.

Ten workers were killed at a construction site in Istanbul when an elevator carrying them suddenly plunged to the ground from the 32th floor late on Sept. 6.

The accident occurred at the construction site of the Torunlar Center, which is being built on the former site of Galatasaray’s Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Şişli’s Mecidiyeköy neighborhood. The elevator malfunctioned due to an unknown reason while the workers were trying to leave the site at around 7:45 p.m. after the completion of their shift.