Parents demand justice for children crushed in collapsed hotel during Turkish earthquake

Murat Aktogarli meets other grieving families – to discuss their legal case – in a small classroom next to the volleyball court where his son Aras used to play.

In early February last year, the boys' and girls' volleyball teams traveled from the city of Famagusta to the eastern Turkish city of Adiyaman to participate in a volleyball tournament.

They all stayed at Isias Hotel, known as one of the nicest accommodations in Adıyaman, with 10 floors and good reviews online. The children, ages 11 to 14, were staying together in hotel rooms.

On February 6, 2023, at 4:17 a.m., a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey. This was followed by a second earthquake of magnitude 7.5 several hours later. More than 59,000 people were killed in the devastation, whether in Türkiye or northern Syria.

The Grand Isaias Hotel collapsed in the earthquake, killing 72 people, including 24 volleyball players, nine teachers and parents, and a group of 40 tour guides.

Now, Aktograli and other parents whose children died in the hotel collapse are helping bring a landmark criminal case to court against the hotel owners and people involved in the construction.

“In my opinion, justice is not possible at all. We will never get our children back. But the result of this experiment, we hope it will set a good example for the future,” Aktograli said. “This punishment will show these people, these fraudsters, that they will be punished if they do something wrong.” “

Early on, the Turkish authorities detained the hotel owner, Ahmed Bozkurt, along with his two sons and business partners.

Eleven defendants were charged with “willful negligence” while supervising the hotel's construction. The indictment says the building was illegally converted from a residence to a hotel in 2001, and that the hotel illegally erected an additional floor, The Guardian reported.

Hassan Esandaghli, part of the legal team on behalf of the parents, said they are making the argument that the hotel was not built safely, especially in an area known to be at risk from earthquakes.

“We are trying to find out who is responsible,” Essandagli said. “Whether it was the engineers who participated in the construction, or the architect, or the municipality that gave the permission.”

At the first session of the trial on January 2, the hotel owner said he believed the hotel he was staying in was the strongest building in the area. He said his hotel was built to code, but in the event of an earthquake that strong, it was inevitable that some buildings would fall.

He said he was also saddened by the deaths of his guests.

In Famagusta, the family said the hotel owners never contacted them, even to offer condolences.

Aktograli said that on the night of the quake, he ran to the door to try to reach the children, but was unable to open it to get into the hallway. So, he hid between the beds in the room.

“I was talking to the walls, praying that the hotel would withstand the shaking, and suddenly, it was like an atomic explosion.”

The President of Northern Cyprus arranged a rescue team, which headed to Adiyaman that day with a group of parents, hoping to find the children alive under the rubble. But their rooms completely collapsed.

“It was like a mountain of sand. Our children, their parents and teachers, had no chance of surviving.”

Rushin Karakaya is the mother of Selin, a 14-year-old girls' team player.

Occasionally, Karakaya drives to Selin High School — to sit in the parking lot where she used to pick her up.

Karakaya is part of the lawsuit filed by the children's parents.

“It's not fair. The earthquake didn't kill our children. The building killed them,” she said. “We're talking about killers here. That is why we are now fighting for justice.”

The next hearing in this case is scheduled for April 26.

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