The number of suspects detained in connection with the deadly hotel fire at a ski resort rose to 14 on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.
Erdogan also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that anyone who may have caused the blaze by prioritizing profit over safety is brought to justice.
The fire, which tore through the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel, in Kartalkaya, in northwestern Bolu province early Tuesday, trapped many of the registered 238 guests inside, leaving 78 people dead and dozens of others injured. It struck at the start of a two-week winter break for schools, and 36 of the victims were children, local media reports said.
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 out, sent shockwaves across Turkey and sparked widespread calls for accountability into negligence and safety violations.
At least 66 dead, 51 injured in Turkey hotel fire
“Those who caused our nation this great pain due to mistakes, negligence, irregularities and greed will definitely be held accountable to the courts,” Erdogan said in an address to his governing party’s local congress in the southern city of Malatya.
A total of 14 people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation into the fire, including the hotel’s owner, staff members and three people from the Bolu mayor’s office, Erdogan said. His government has traded accusations of blame with the Bolu municipality, which is controlled by Turkey’s main opposition party.
Eight of the suspects were scheduled to appear before prosecutors to face possible charges, HaberTurk television said. They include the hotel’s owner and managers, the acting Bolu fire chief, a retired architect and kitchen staff, the station reported.
The blaze appeared to have started at the restaurant section on the fourth floor of the wooden-clad hotel and spread quickly to the upper floors, reports said.
Witness accounts have pointed to a lack of proper safety systems at the establishment, including fire alarms, sprinklers and adequate emergency exits.
Turkey continued to hold funerals for the victims on Friday, including for 6-year-old Dila Inal and her 8-year-old sister, Ela, who were buried in Istanbul along with their 44-year-old mother, Defne Arkadas Inal. Their Georgian nanny, Laura Kurtanidze, who also perished in the fire, would be buried in a ceremony in Georgia.