Authorities in Turkey have arrested 14 individuals, with eight of them facing charges following a devastating fire at a mountain hotel that claimed 78 lives. The fire, which occurred Tuesday evening at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort, has brought to light significant negligence and the absence of essential safety systems, according to Anadolu Agency, as cited by AFP.
The ongoing investigation targets the hotel’s management, emergency services, and Bolu municipality officials, as the ski resort is under its jurisdiction.
On Friday, the hotel’s owner and his son-in-law were taken into custody. Additional arrests include Bolu’s deputy mayor, the deputy chief of the fire brigade, the hotel chef, an electrician, and an architect, according to Turkish media.
Survivors and investigators have condemned the lack of a functional alarm system, smoke detectors, sprinklers, fire escape routes, and firefighter access to one side of the 12-story building overlooking the ski slopes.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that 238 guests, mostly families with children, were present in the hotel when the fire broke out around midnight during the winter school holidays.
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