Scandalous allegations against the owners of Grand Kartal Hotel! 'They tried to save their own belongings...'

78 citizens, 36 of whom were children, lost their lives in the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center.

While the investigation into the hotel fire, which involved a chain of negligence, continues, new scandals regarding the tragedy continue to emerge.

Businessman Rıfat Doğan, who lost his wife Ceren Yaman (45) and daughter Lalin (16) in the tragedy, and his father-in-law Yusuf Yaman recounted the painful process they went through.

Rıfat Doğan, who was unable to go on vacation with his family due to his busy work schedule, dropped his wife and daughter off at the hotel where the tragedy occurred on Monday, January 20.

Doğan messaged his daughter for the last time hours before the tragedy. It was learned that Lalin had sent a message to her father before going to sleep, saying, "Goodnight daddy, love you."

"I HAD THE CHANCE TO SIT AND CHAT ONE LAST TIME"

Stating that his daughter wanted to go skiing in Kartalkaya during the semester break, Rıfat Doğan said, "We talked with my wife. She said, 'Let us go, you return. You can come and pick us up two days later.'

We arranged our spot that way. We went down with them and arranged for our ski instructor. Our ski instructor was available at 12:00 instead of 11:00, so we gained an hour. I had the chance to sit and chat with my wife and child there one last time." 

THE LAST MESSAGE LALİN SENT TO HER FATHER...

We sat down and had our tea and coffee. When it was time to ski, we went downstairs. I helped them get dressed because I was always the one who tied their boots and prepared them for skiing. After that, I left the hotel.

I handed my daughter over to her ski instructor, Mr. Ahmet. I put my wife's helmet on, kissed her, and kissed my daughter. My daughter and Mr. Ahmet started skiing. That was the last time I saw them. 

After returning home in the evening, I spoke with my wife on the phone. We talked about things like, 'What did you do? How was your day?' After that, before going to bed, my daughter sent her last message at 23:43, saying, 'Goodnight, daddy.'

We exchanged messages. She even sent a message in her own style, saying 'Goodnight, daddyyyy' with an elongated ending," he said.

"THIS WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE 'KARTALKAYA MASSACRE'"

Doğan pointed out that there was a chain of negligence at the hotel and used the following expressions:

"This is a lack of conscience, a murder. I divide this situation into two parts: there is a chain of negligence and a chain of errors within it. The most important part of the chain of errors is, unfortunately, that they did not warn the people there in time. They tried to extinguish the fire themselves, saying, 'Our prestige will be damaged.'"

However, because they could not control the fire, they failed to issue a timely warning. In contrast, they were able to leave the hotel without a scratch because they warned their own families in time. I consider this situation a murder; I cannot call it anything else. In fact, I am taking this event a step further and calling it a massacre. This will go down in history as the 'Kartalkaya massacre.' When the fire broke out, they cut the electricity, and because the power to the room doors was cut, some people remained locked inside; there were also rooms where the backup batteries inside the doors had run out, leaving people trapped. It is a situation that is completely indefensible from any angle."

"THEY TRIED TO EXTINGUISH IT THEMSELVES FIRST, THEN COULD NOT CONTAIN IT"

Explaining that he had spoken with other eyewitnesses, Rıfat Doğan said, "According to what we learned from other eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 02:00.

I spoke with one of the hotel employees, and he told me, 'Brother, we pounded on the doors and barely managed to escape ourselves.'

According to him as well, the fire started around 02:00. They waited for an hour and a half to notify the fire department. Unfortunately, they tried to extinguish it themselves first, and then they could not contain it. 

An employee who was at the hotel at the time and survived the fire stated, 'We barely saved ourselves. This fire started around 02:00, and because the power was cut, there were people who remained trapped inside rooms where the backup batteries had run out. The doors could not be broken down or opened,' among many other statements. I assume all these allegations will come to light anyway," he said.

"I HAD HOPE WHEN THEY SAID 'THEY ARE NOT IN THE ROOM'"

Businessman Yusuf Yaman, the father of Ceren Doğan, who could not hold back his tears, said that he last spoke with his daughter on Monday, January 20, around 20:00.

Stating that he lives in Bodrum and came to Bolu as soon as he heard about the incident, Yaman continued his remarks as follows:

"We learned about the incident on television the next morning and rushed to the hotel. Naturally, we were hopeful. When I asked questions, they told me, 'They are not in the room.' When they said 'They are not in the room,' I became hopeful. I wondered, did they survive? Are they injured? We came with hope. It turns out the children had never been able to leave the hotel room; they were poisoned."

"THEY TRIED TO SAVE THEIR BELONGINGS"

The fire did not start at 03:30, but around 02:00-02:15, yet the hotel owners saved their own children, grandchildren, and relatives from the 12th floor. 

They neglected the other floors, they neglected the people, and they tried to save their belongings. This is what we cannot digest, cannot endure, and cannot accept. Acting with the thought that 'the image will be tarnished' is the greatest form of ignorance. Everyone who stays there, everyone living in that hotel, entrusts their lives to you. Yet you cannot protect these lives. A fire can happen at any time. There is no such thing as 'a fire won't happen.' This might be a mistake, but a mistake can be compensated for. Despite this, the necessary precautions against fire, alarm systems, and other required measures in such a large hotel were completely neglected. This is truly a tragedy."

"WHO WILL EXTINGUISH MY FIRE"

Stating that this incident also dealt a blow to tourism, Yaman said, "What did they do to Turkey? Not just to themselves, not just to the people... They tarnished Turkey's image. A major blow was dealt to tourism in Turkey. This incident dealt a blow. It cost so many lives. It was a place where successful students went to rest during the semester break. My granddaughter was studying at a science high school. She got in with top marks, she was very successful. She was promising, but they took my daughter and my granddaughter from me. I call them 'murderers.' I cannot accept this, I am burning, I am burning. Who will extinguish my fire? I am burning. I haven't slept for a week, I cannot sleep. Whoever is responsible must face the consequences. They must not go unpunished."