Six more suspects have been arrested in connection with the hotel fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu, which claimed the lives of 78 people, while five others were released under judicial control.
The Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is continuing the investigation into the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel on Jan. 21.
As part of the investigation, 11 more individuals who had been detained were referred to the courthouse after their processing at the gendarmerie.
After completing the prosecutor's questioning, six suspects were arrested by the on-duty court and five were released under judicial control.
Thus, the number of arrests in the investigation has risen to 15.
Meanwhile, four suspects, including Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener and Fire Department Deputy Director Kenan Coşkun, are still being investigated.
Previously detained suspects included Halit Ergül, the owner of the Grand Kartal Hotel, Emir Aras, the general manager of the company, Zeki Yılmaz, the hotel manager, along with the accounting manager, chef, electrician and kitchen staff. Nine suspects were arrested, and the occupational health and safety expert was released under judicial control.
A deadly fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, northwestern Türkiye, claimed 78 lives. The fire's cause and negligence behind the tragedy have come to light through an investigation. The Bolu Municipality Fire Department identified several fire safety deficiencies in the hotel 19 days before the incident but took no action. Despite the findings, a fire safety certificate was issued for the hotel’s restaurant, where the blaze started. Bolu's Mayor Tanju Özcan initially claimed no responsibility, but documents later revealed discrepancies in his statements. The investigation is ongoing, and several individuals, including the deputy mayor and the fire chief, have been arrested.
