Istanbul: A total of 32 defendants went on trial on Monday over a deadly fire that tore through a popular ski resort hotel, killing 78 people and injuring
133 others.
The Jan 21 fire hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu during the winter school break.
Dozens of children taking family vacations were among the victims.
The tragedy, which saw guests and staff jump out of windows to escape smoke and flame-filled rooms or dangle sheets out of windows to lower themselves down, sent shockwaves across
Turkey and sparked widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations.
Thirteen of the defendants face potential jail terms of 1,998 years each on charges of killing or wounding with possible
intent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a 98-page indictment from the Bolu Public Prosecutor’s Office.