ISTANBUL: A Turkish court sentenced 11 people to life in prison on Friday over a fire that killed 78 people at a ski resort in northwest Turkiye’s Bolu mountains in January, state media reported.
Halit Ergul, owner of the Grand Kartal Hotel where the blaze erupted, was among the 11 defendants given aggravated life sentences by the court in Bolu province, according to state-run broadcaster TRT Haber.
Thirty-four children were among those killed in the fire, which occurred during school holidays when many families from nearby Istanbul and Ankara head to the Bolu mountains to ski. Another 137 people suffered injuries.
There were a total of 32 defendants in the trial, 20 of them in pre-trial detention, TRT said. Besides Ergul, the accused included hotel board members, managers and staff, as well as a deputy mayor and fire brigade personnel.
The disaster had triggered calls for accountability and reform. Independent experts said the hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort, lacked basic fire safety measures.
The blaze started in the restaurant floor of the 12-story building, where 238 guests were staying. It forced panicked hotel guests to jump from windows in the middle of the night.
Turkiye sentences 11 people to life in prison over ski resort hotel fire
https://arab.news/88zz5
Turkiye sentences 11 people to life in prison over ski resort hotel fire
- Thirty-four children were among those killed in the fire
- There were a total of 32 defendants in the trial, 20 of them in pre-trial detention
UAE closes embassy in Tehran, withdraws ambassador
- UAE foreign ministry said Iranian strikes represented serious and irresponsible escalation
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates closed its embassy in Tehran on Sunday and has withdrawn its ambassador and all diplomatic staff from Iran following Iranian missile strikes targeting the Gulf country.
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision came in response to what it described as “blatant Iranian missile attacks” on Emirati territory.
The ministry said the strikes targeted civilian sites, including residential areas, airports, ports and service facilities, and represented a serious and irresponsible escalation.
“These hostile attacks constitute a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” the statement said.
The ministry added that the move reflects the UAE’s “firm and unwavering stance against any aggression” that threatens its security and sovereignty. It accused Iran of continued hostile and provocative conduct that undermines de-escalation efforts and pushes the region toward a dangerous trajectory, threatening regional and international peace, energy security and global economic stability.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have faced hundreds of missile and drone attacks since Saturday, as Tehran retaliates against US-Israeli airstrikes.
While the majority of the projectiles have reportedly been intercepted, there have been reports of casualties and damage in several areas of both cities.
