Bolu, Turkiye – November 1, 2025
A Turkish court on Friday sentenced 11 people to life in prison over a hotel fire that killed 78 people at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort earlier this year. Among the victims were 34 children.

The convicted include the hotel’s owner Halit Ergul, his wife Emine Ergul, and their daughters Elif Aras and Ceyda Hacibekiroglu, all part of the management team. The hotel’s general manager Emir Aras, as well as Bolu’s deputy mayor Sedat Gulener and the director of another hotel, Ahmet Demir—both board members of the owning company—were also sentenced.

The blaze broke out in the hotel’s restaurant on the night of January 21, 2025, rapidly engulfing the 12-story building where 238 guests were staying during school holidays. Many panicked guests jumped from windows, leaving 137 people injured.

In total, the court handed out 34 aggravated life sentences, one for each child who died in the tragedy. Observers in the courtroom reportedly applauded as the verdicts were read.

The fire had sparked nationwide outrage over safety lapses. Survivors reported that fire alarms did not sound and that they had to navigate smoke-filled corridors in darkness. Following the incident, authorities arrested nine people and assigned six prosecutors to lead the investigation.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya vowed that those responsible would not evade justice. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a day of national mourning and personally served as a pallbearer during funeral ceremonies for the victims.