A ski resort owner and 10 other people, including members of his family, have been sentenced to life in prison over a fire that killed 78 people in northwest Turkey earlier this year. According to state media, the 11 received aggravated life sentences, the harshest sentence under Turkish law, meaning they must serve at least 30 years before they are eligible for parole, over the deaths of 34 children in the fire. The AP reports that another 25 years were added for the deaths of 44 adults. Halit Ergul, his wife, two daughters, a deputy mayor, a deputy fire chief, and several hotel managers were convicted of negligence with "probable intent to kill."
Fire swept through the Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya, in the Bolu mountains almost 200 miles east of Istanbul, on Jan. 21. The fire happened during the school holidays, when the hotel was packed with families, reports Reuters. Prosecutors said that after the fire started in the hotel restaurant around 3:17am, fire alarms and sprinkler systems didn't work and poor safety measures allowed smoke to fill upper floors of the 12-story hotel. The lack of safety measures also prevented safe evacuation, forcing some guests to jump from windows. Some 137 people were injured.
Another 18 people, mostly hotel employees, received sentences between 12 and 22 years, AFP reports. Three defendants, including two cooks, were acquitted. Survivors delivered wrenching testimony before the sentencing. "I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such a pain," said Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and 9-year-old daughter.
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