Hotel fire investigation commission hears from relatives of the deceased: 'There wasn't even anyone to shout "fire"'

At the opening of the meeting, Altınok stated that 57 relatives of the deceased had been invited to the commission, expressed that they shared the families' pain, and requested that the families not be interrupted while they were speaking.

Hilmi Altın, who lost his wife and child in the fire and spoke afterward, said that they had read and examined the file regarding the fire in detail.

Emphasizing that they viewed the case file not just as a document, but as the most important duty of their lives, Altın expressed that they had experienced an indescribable pain caused by human hands.

Stating that they wanted the commission to produce a study that would go down in history and set a precedent, Altın said, "Every kind of death was experienced that day. Every kind of survival was also experienced there that day. The burden we carry is far more than what a human can bear. I am a husband and father who is ashamed to be breathing because I survived that hell. 78 is no longer just a number. Here, there is the story of 78 separate lives, 78 souls."

Stating that what happened was not negligence or a mistake, but murder, Altın demanded that legal regulations prioritizing life safety be enacted.

Asking, "How do people die in a hotel that is defined as safe and child-friendly and sold by prestigious tourism agencies?" Altın used the following expressions: "We have a clear demand; may no family ever experience what we have lived through again. All those responsible from top to bottom, the hotel owners, those who failed to inspect, those who turned a blind eye, and those who issued the licenses must be exposed, and the punishments they deserve must be applied without reduction. The land of that hotel should be turned into a memorial as a cautionary tale, in such a way that it will never be opened to tourism again."

Zeynep Kotan, who lost her son in the fire, said that the judicial process was progressing slowly. Stating that they were following the judicial processes, Kotan noted that the greatest family massacre had occurred during the Year of the Family.

Kotan asked the commission members to stand by them during the hearings.

"WE WANT THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO SERVE THEIR SENTENCES"

Eray Bağcı, who lost his son in the fire, emphasized that what happened was not an accident.

Stating that they wanted justice, Bağcı expressed that the truth should not be hidden and that shortcomings should not be covered up.

Bağcı said, "We want those responsible to serve their sentences. We demand that the hotel where this murder took place, or any other hotel in its place, not be allowed to operate. We want this area to be turned into a memorial."

Duygu Can, who lost her son and daughter in the fire, also described the events as a "massacre."

Playing the voice recording her 13-year-old son Doruk Can made before he lost his life, Can said, "My son Doruk left me a voice recording with a huge heart at such a young age. He didn't say, 'Mom, help, save us.' He said, 'Mom, I love you.' My child left me this voice recording knowing he was going to die, he had to leave it. My child knew he was going to die."

Stating that there was no guidance provided after the fire, Can said, "Someone approached me and said, 'The Governor is upset, don't cry here.' While I was losing the children I had dedicated my life to, even my pain was considered a nuisance, and my tears were meant to be suppressed."

Müge Karataşlı, who lost her brother in the fire, stated that she was staying at the hotel with her family.

Saying that she heard shouts of "break the windows" during the fire, Karataşlı stated that she climbed down using a ladder brought to the window of the room she was staying in.

"THERE WASN'T EVEN ANYONE TO SHOUT 'FIRE'"

Sema Şahin, who lost her daughter and grandchild in the fire, stated that they had received the lifeless bodies of those who went on vacation.

Underlining that a great duty falls upon the Parliament, Şahin said, "Those who opened this hotel and those who allowed it to open are the most guilty. If this issue is not concluded during this legislative term, I want to put forward my candidacy and take my place in Parliament. If I cannot get justice for my children and the 78 souls in this Parliament, I want to come here again and take their rights by force."

Mahmut Türkay, who lost his sister and nieces/nephews in the fire, requested that the status of martyr be granted to those who lost their lives.

Eylem Şahintürk, who was staying at the hotel where the fire occurred, stated that she left the room she was in after noticing the smoke. Stating that there was no alarm or fire escape in the hotel, Şahintürk said, "There wasn't even anyone to report the fire or shout 'fire.' This is irrational."

"THE COMPANY'S UNEXPLAINABLE NEGLIGENCE IS EVIDENT"

Abdurrahman Gençbay, President of the 9th Chamber of the Council of State, who lost his son Yiğit Gençbay in the fire, stated that the hotel should be evaluated.

Saying that the duties regarding the license, Tourism Operation Certificate, and other processes were not fully performed, Gençbay stated that everyone was blaming each other.

Gençbay said, "I wholeheartedly believe that all of them, including the arrested municipal officials, are primarily at fault and responsible. When you were issuing the license and the fire safety certificate here, didn't you see the situation?"

Reminding of the deficiencies identified by the municipality upon the hotel's application for "fire adequacy," Gençbay emphasized that municipal officials were also obliged to share the deficiencies with the Provincial Special Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Gençbay noted the following:

"The primary, severe, and in no way explainable negligence, mistakes, and errors of the company operating the hotel due to its failure to fulfill the requirements of the legislation are evident. It is also evident that the administrations, which should have prevented the negligent and erroneous behavior, which should have detected such attitudes before damage occurred, which should have imposed sanctions, and which should not have allowed the institution to operate if necessary, also have severe faults in the occurrence of this damage and the increase in the scale of the damage."

Commission Chairman Selami Altınok and the deputies could not hold back their tears while the relatives of the deceased were describing what they had experienced.

"WE WILL PREPARE A FAIR REPORT"

Following the statements of the relatives of those who lost their lives, Altınok stated that everyone's heart was burning.

Saying that he believed justice would be served, Altınok said, "We will prepare a fair report. We have pushed party politics aside; we will fight this struggle together for our 78 souls. We will also fight this struggle so that no more of our souls are burned from now on."

During the meeting, Altınok stated that the commission's working period would end on May 13 and put the request for an additional 1-month extension to a vote. As a result of the voting, the request for an additional 1-month period for the commission's work from the TBMM General Assembly was accepted.