Following the tragic collapse of the Isias Grand Hotel during the February 2023 earthquake, which claimed 72 lives, a court in Turkey has handed down prison sentences to the hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt and architect Erdem Yilmaz. Each received 18 years and five months behind bars. Bozkurt's son, Mehmet Fatih, was sentenced to 17 years and four months. The court found them guilty of "causing the death or injury of more than one person through conscious negligence."
Owners and Architect Jailed Over Fatal Turkey Earthquake Hotel Collapse
Owners and Architect Jailed Over Fatal Turkey Earthquake Hotel Collapse
Court sentences key figures from Isias Grand Hotel tragedy amid criticism of leniency, as the nation grapples with the repercussions of devastating earthquakes.
The 7-story Isias Grand Hotel, situated in Adiyaman, was accommodating a school volleyball team and several tourist guides at the time of the quake. Amid the devastation, Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel expressed dissatisfaction with the sentences, declaring them too lenient and indicating that there would be an appeal. He noted that while he found some solace in the convictions of those responsible for the hotel's construction and design, the overall punishment fell short of what was warranted.
The seismic disaster on February 6, 2023, resulted in the tragic loss of over 50,000 lives across Turkey and Syria, with approximately 160,000 buildings reported as damaged or collapsed. While many remain homeless, the Turkish government disclosed that they are investigating hundreds of cases connected to the disaster, leading to nearly 200 arrests of construction professionals and property owners.
The volleyball team, consisting of 39 members from Famagusta Turkish Education College, was in Adiyaman for a tournament when the earthquake struck. Only four parents survived, managing to escape from the rubble while their children and others perished. The hotel, which had been operational since 2001, was later found to have been constructed with subpar materials mixed from local river gravel, compromising its structural integrity. The widespread collapse of buildings during the earthquake has sparked intense scrutiny and criticism directed at the Turkish government for its failure to uphold building regulations amid a construction boom following earlier disasters.
The seismic disaster on February 6, 2023, resulted in the tragic loss of over 50,000 lives across Turkey and Syria, with approximately 160,000 buildings reported as damaged or collapsed. While many remain homeless, the Turkish government disclosed that they are investigating hundreds of cases connected to the disaster, leading to nearly 200 arrests of construction professionals and property owners.
The volleyball team, consisting of 39 members from Famagusta Turkish Education College, was in Adiyaman for a tournament when the earthquake struck. Only four parents survived, managing to escape from the rubble while their children and others perished. The hotel, which had been operational since 2001, was later found to have been constructed with subpar materials mixed from local river gravel, compromising its structural integrity. The widespread collapse of buildings during the earthquake has sparked intense scrutiny and criticism directed at the Turkish government for its failure to uphold building regulations amid a construction boom following earlier disasters.
