The incident occurred in a restaurant of a 12-story chalet, where 238 guests were present. As a result of the panic, people were forced to jump out of windows into the darkness of the night.
Among the victims of the tragedy were 34 children, as the fire broke out during school holidays when many families from Istanbul and Ankara go on ski vacations. Additionally, 137 other people were injured in the incident.
Among those convicted was the owner of the Grand Kartal hotel, Halit Ergül, as reported by state television TRT Haber.
According to TRT, the total number of defendants in this case is 32, of which 20 are in custody awaiting trial.
In addition to Halit Ergül, members of the board of directors, managers, and staff of the hotel, as well as the deputy mayor and fire service workers have been held accountable.
Experts emphasized that the hotel at the Kartalkaya resort did not comply with basic fire safety regulations, as noted by Reuters.
