A court in the Turkish city of Bolu has ordered nine people to be detained in custody on charges related to the deadly fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal hotel in the Turkish ski resort of Kartalkaya on January 21, Turkish media reported. The fire killed 78 people and injured dozens, BTA reported.
A total of 14 people have been detained so far in the investigation into the incident, with nine of them in custody. According to media reports, more arrests are possible.
Among those initially detained in connection with the fire were the hotel's owner, Halit Ergul, and the manager of the Grand Kartal, Emir Aras, who is his son-in-law. They are among the nine people in custody, along with the head of accounting, the head chef, the responsible electrician, and kitchen workers.
Halit Ergül is the son-in-law of the hotel's former owner, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu. The hotel was built by businessman Murtezaoğlu, who died in 2019. According to Turkish media, Murtezaoğlu's daughter also owns the hotel, but she is not among those detained.
The family owns another hotel in the Kartalkaya resort near the fire, but it was not affected by the flames. The investigation into the tragedy that struck Turkey is ongoing. It is being led by the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said.
The search for the causes and omissions that led to the tragedy is also ongoing. The Kartalkaya fire is considered the deadliest hotel fire in Turkey's history. At least 36 of those killed in the fire were children under the age of 18. Many schools in Turkey posted condolence messages for the deceased students on their websites under the heading ”Mourning“/Yas/.
A report by the Bolu Fire Department, published by the Turkish newspaper "Haberler", states that the fire started in the kitchen on the fourth floor, as stated in the initial unofficial version, which BTA reported. The report also added that rescue operations in the fire began after 54 minutes with 11 vehicles and 30 personnel.
Meanwhile, Turkish media reported that two people died when a 4-story apartment building collapsed in the city of Konya last night. Three people have been rescued and rescue operations are ongoing. Four people have been arrested in connection with the incident.