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The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
High-profile trial for deadly hotel fire that killed 78 opens in Turkey
A total of 32 defendants went on trial on Monday over a deadly fire that tore through a popular ski resort hotel, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. The Jan. 21 fire hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu during the winter school break. Dozens of children taking family vacations were among the victims. The tragedy, which saw guests and staff jump out of windows to escape smoke and flame-filled rooms or dangle sheets out of windows to lower themselves down, sent shockwaves across Turkey and sparked widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations. Thirteen of the defendants face potential jail terms of 1,998 years each on charges of killing or wounding with possible intent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a 98-page indictment from the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office. The 19 others are charged with negligently causing death or injury, for which they could be jailed for 22½ years. With 210 plaintiffs and 32 defendants involved in the high-profile case, the trial is taking place at a sports center in Bolu that has been temporarily converted into a 700-seat courtroom to accommodate the proceedings, Anadolu reported. On Monday, family members and friends of the victims staged a demonstration outside the sports center, holding up posters of their loved ones and demanding justice. 'This is not neglect, it is murder,' the Anadolu Agency quoted Zeynep Kotan, the mother of 17-year-old Omur Kotan, who lost her life in the fire, as saying. The fire started at 3.17 a.m. local time as a spark from an electric grill plate in the fourth-floor kitchen lit a nearby garbage bin before melting the hose of a liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, and igniting the gas. Staff first noticed the flames at 3.24 a.m. and called the emergency services but within two minutes the blaze had 'exceeded controllable limits,' according to the indictment. The blaze took hold of the wooden ceiling, accelerated by the flow of air from a door left open by escaping kitchen staff. The indictment says that inadequate measures on the stairs and elevators and the lack of a smoke extraction system caused flammable and toxic fumes to swiftly spread to the upper floors, filling corridors with smoke. The lack of emergency alarms, faulty fire detection and warning systems and insufficient staff fire training meant the hotel's 238 guests were not alerted to the blaze in time. Escape routes through the stairways and emergency exits were not properly fitted and there was no sprinkler system, turning the hotel's stairwells and life shafts into 'chimneys' for the smoke to quickly reach the upper floors. The indictment adds that the absence of emergency lighting, fire escape signs and alternative exits stopped the safe evacuation of guests. The 14-day trial will hear that legal responsibility lay with owner Halit Ergul and company board members, including his wife and daughters, and managers. Also facing the higher punishment are Bolu's deputy mayor and deputy fire chief. Those facing the lesser charges consist of hotel staff, inspection officials and maintenance workers. The hotel first opened in 1999 and has been operated by Ergul's company since 2007. In a statement to prosecutors made within days of the fire, Ergul said the hotel was checked for fire safety every two years by government-authorized inspectors before receiving a tourism certificate, allowing it to operate. The most recent certificate was due to expire in March. The hotel's last inspection by the Culture and Tourism Ministry was conducted five weeks before the fire, Ergul said.


BBC News
43 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man, 64, bailed after woman's serious head injury in Cheltenham
A man has been released on bail after a woman was found with a serious head 64-year-old man, from Cheltenham, had been arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily Police officers were called to Montpellier Walk in Cheltenham at about 00:05 BST on found the woman near Rotunda Terrace. She was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition, where she remains. Enquiries are ongoing.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tourist left dog in hot locker so she could explore castle, say police
Police in southern Germany have rescued a dog from a locker at the iconic Neuschwanstein Castle, after its owner reportedly confined the animal there despite objections from other tourists. The alleged incident, which police confirmed on Sunday, unfolded at the picture-postcard castle, which is famed for its surging turrets and its setting in the Alps near the Austrian border. It is one of Germany's top tourist attractions. Despite it being a hot summer's day and the locker already being half-filled by a pram, the woman allegedly proceeded to lock her pet inside the small space. She then left to tour the castle, according to a statement from police in the nearby town of Fuessen. The dog was subsequently freed from its confinement. Security staff were alerted and freed the dog, they added. "The dog was fortunately unharmed but visibly glad when it was rescued from the already hot locker," the police statement said, adding that officers deployed to the scene took him back to the police station. The police did not specify what breed the dog was but said it was of "medium" size and about 60 cm (two feet) tall at the shoulder. An officer on duty at Fuessen police station contacted by telephone said the dog was a mongrel. Police said they had initiated criminal proceedings against the owner on suspicion of breaking Germany's animal welfare law. Neuschwanstein Castle is one of Germany's most-visited attractions, with more than 1.3 million people passing through its halls each year. Visitor numbers reach as many as 6,000 per day in the summer months. It was built as a private residence for King Ludwig II of Bavaria and opened in the late 1800s shortly after his death. It features Gothic, Romanesque and Byzantine architecture and was designed to mimic German castles from the Middle Ages.