13.07.2025 00:20
Yaprak Yeşilada Yalçın, who lost her husband and daughter in the fire tragedy in Kartalkaya, Bolu, said, "It was like a coffin; no one could escape. We went out into the corridor, and it was the last time I saw my daughter. As I was leaving the room, my daughter said to me, 'Mom, I don't want to die.' I called for my husband; he had only been able to move to the next room, and he said, 'I have to hang up,' and that was the last time I spoke to my husband."
In the Grand Kartal Hotel fire disaster in Bolu Kartalkaya, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 were injured, the trial of 32 defendants, including the hotel owner and municipal officials, continued on its 6th day with the statements of the complainants.
SHE RECOUTED HER DAUGHTER'S LAST WORDS: 'MOM, I DON'T WANT TO DIE'
Yaprak Yeşilada Yalçın, who lost her husband and daughter in the disaster, stated that she escaped the fire with her eldest daughter, saying, "My husband was a very good father. He was a person who raised hundreds, thousands of students. How did I get out, and he couldn't? It was such a coffin that no one could escape. We went out to the corridor, and that was the last time I saw my daughter. As I was leaving the room, my daughter said to me, 'Mom, I don't want to die.' I felt a burning sensation in my lungs and lost consciousness. I threw myself into another room, looked around, and my eldest daughter was with me. I called my husband with my daughter's phone; he had only managed to move to the next room, saying, 'I have to hang up,' and that was my last conversation with my husband," she said.
"I NEVER THOUGHT PEOPLE WITH THESE TITLES COULD DIMINISH THEMSELVES SO MUCH"
Yalçın continued her speech: "For 5 days, we listened to how all the defendants did not take responsibility. I never thought that people with these titles could diminish themselves so much. My greatest assurance is the supreme Turkish judiciary. I have full faith that you will give the fairest decision."
"THE FIRE ESCAPE DOOR WAS MADE OF WOOD"
Complainant Nazmiye Şişli stated that she was staying on the 11th floor of the hotel with a friend, saying, "I couldn't sleep that night. I felt a sense of unease inside me. We were there for the forest school. Elif Vanlıoğlu, who is also a friend of Merve İlgin in her private life, called me. She called at 03:29. Elif sister told me, 'Wake Merve, don't take the elevator, go down.' Smoke started to fill the room. There was no system in the hotel to warn us. Later, Merve sister panicked. She tried to go outside. The fire escape was right next to the room I was in. Smoke was coming from there. You couldn't see anything. We shouted and found the elevator. We found the stairwell. We started to go down from there. We went to the reception area on the 5th floor. I saw Elif and Emir Aras, their daughters, and hotel staff outside around 03:33. They were in a panic. The fire escape door was made of wood," she said.