Latest news Court imposes heavy prison sentences after earthquake in Turkey
Following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey at the beginning of last year, the owner and architect of a hotel in which 72 people died have each been sentenced to 18 years and 5 months in prison. The two men had acted with gross negligence, according to the verdict. The court in the province of Adiyaman sentenced four other defendants to prison terms of between 8 and 17 years on Wednesday, as reported by the Anadolu news agency.
25.12.2024, 16:43
SDA
Among the victims were the 26 members of a school volleyball team from northern Cyprus who had traveled to southeastern Turkey to take part in a tournament. They were in the hotel at the time of the earthquake. The government of Northern Cyprus announced that it would appeal.
What had happened?
On February 6, two earthquakes shook Turkey and northern Syria. According to official figures, 53,000 people died in Turkey alone as a result. Around 38,900 buildings collapsed completely, according to the disaster control authority Afad.
Around 200,000 buildings were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished. The province of Hatay and especially its capital Antakya were the worst affected. Critics had accused the Turkish government of failing to provide earthquake relief and tolerating construction defects, especially in the beginning.
