New development in cable car disaster: 5 people arrested

In connection with the cable car accident that occurred in the Konyaaltı district on April 12, which resulted in 1 death and 7 injuries, 5 people, including the former chairman of the board of the cable car operator ANET and current CHP Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, have been arrested.

In the 36-page indictment, 150 people, including Memiş Gümüş who died in the accident, were listed as complainants.

The same indictment named 12 people as defendants, including Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, ANET General Manager Deputy Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Okan Erol, and Serkan Yellice. The prosecution requested that the 12 defendants be punished for the crimes of 'Endangering traffic safety through negligence' and 'Causing death and injury through negligence'.

7 PRIMARY AND 5 SECONDARY FAULT

The indictment stated that Mesut Kocagöz, Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Edip Kemal Bahadır, Serdar Tezcan, Okan Erol, Serkan Yellice, and Suphi Kaplan were primarily at fault, while Orhan Karaoğlan, Kazım Kılıç, Hüseyin Ay, Özgür Ermiş, and Aziz Azizoğlu were secondarily at fault. The prosecution requested prison sentences of up to 27 years for each of the defendants. The indictment was accepted by the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court. Mayor Kocagöz was released at the first hearing with an international travel ban imposed.

DEFENDANTS FACE THE JUDGE

A total of 11 defendants, including detained defendants Ahmet Buğra Samsunlu, Serkan Yellice, Serdar Tezcan, Okan Erol, and Suphi Kaplan, attended the second hearing held at the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court. Mesut Kocagöz, who is being tried without detention, submitted an excuse and did not attend the hearing. The defendants who attended the hearing denied the accusations.

I AM FILING A COMPLAINT AGAINST ALL OF THEM

Complainant Özlem Şahin described the process she went through during the cable car accident. Stating that she was in cabin number 28 with 4 friends, Şahin said, "After the cable car stopped for a short time, it started moving again. I saw the pole swaying and we started to descend. We fell to the ground. My ribs were broken, my lung collapsed. My son was also injured. No one even said 'Get well soon'. I suffered material, moral, and physical damage. I am filing a complaint against everyone responsible."

TRAVEL BAN CONTINUES

The lawyer for the non-detained defendant Mesut Kocagöz, Buğra Özçelik, stated that Kocagöz could not attend the hearing due to a council meeting and requested that the international travel ban be lifted. However, the court panel decided to continue the detention of the detained defendants and the international travel ban for Mesut Kocagöz, and adjourned the hearing to October 1.