05.02.2025 12:30
Mehmet Güner, a former AK Party MP who lost eight family members in the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, referred to Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, who stated that they had no responsibilities regarding the fire, during a program he attended. He said, "It was not our job to take precautions. From the hotel managers to the municipality and the ministry... They were the ones who needed to take precautions."
After the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel, which resulted in the deaths of 78 people, the debate continues regarding which institutions are responsible for fire inspections in hotels and businesses. Mehmet Güner, a former AK Party deputy who lost 8 family members in the fire, made a striking statement.
"THEY WERE THE ONES WHO NEEDED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS" Speaking about the comments made by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, who said, "The responsibility is not ours," Mehmet Güner stated, "It was not our job to take precautions. From hotel managers to the municipality and the ministry... They were the ones who needed to take precautions," expressing that both the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Bolu Municipality were negligent in the incident.
MINISTER ERSOY HAD BLAMED BOLU MUNICIPALITY Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in a statement regarding the hotel fire tragedy in Bolu, said, "The authorization in Kartalkaya is given by the Bolu Fire Department. You cannot get it from any other municipality because you are within the borders of Bolu. Only fire departments issue the fire safety certificate. The municipalities you are affiliated with within the provincial borders issue it. If the district does not have the qualifications, then the Bolu Fire Department issues it."
TANJU ÖZCAN HAD ALSO RESPONDED Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, passing the ball to the ministry, stated, "Since we did not issue the license, is there a sensor, is there a fire escape? It would not be correct to say there is, nor would it be correct to say there isn't. Because we have no data. Since this is outside the municipal boundary, and because this is a tourism special area, the hotels' licenses are issued by the Ministry of Tourism, so the records are there."
AK Party 22nd Term Bolu Deputy Mehmet Güner shared highlights from his statements on the program 'What You Don't Know' with Yasemin Bozkurt and Esra Ada on TGRT News;
"We experienced a great tragedy. May God not give such pain to anyone. It is a very difficult event to cope with. In this incident, my daughter, son-in-law, my daughter's brother-in-law, and sister-in-law, as well as 4 of our grandchildren... Due to some negligence in such a tragedy, our children lost their lives. I learned that there were 78 people who died there from the conversations that came in. I also wish condolences to their families. It is a difficult test for us. We are faithful people. Our faith protected us; we did not rebel against our Lord. There are negligence, we saw it, but even if you hang or beat the guilty people, it does not bring our children back."
"MY DAUGHTER CALLED AND SAID 'FORGIVE US'" On the day of the incident, we were in Istanbul. We were living in different apartments in the same site. They went to Bolu on Saturday. Since my son-in-law's mother, father, and deceased siblings were also there in Bolu... Our children went there, and after meeting, they went there to have a 3-day vacation with my son-in-law and his siblings. They were supposed to leave the next day after the fire; it was their last night. That night, my wife's phone rang, waking me up. My daughter was on the phone, saying, 'There is a fire.' 'The rooms are filled with smoke, the situation is bad, forgive us.'
I immediately jumped up and set out; our nephews went. I arrived there after 2.5 hours. When I saw the fire, we realized that it was impossible for them to escape. We said there are some negligence and mistakes, but at this point, there is nothing that can bring our children back. We say precautions and fate. It was not our job to take precautions. From hotel managers to the municipality and the ministry... They were the ones who needed to take precautions. We said, 'This is how fate is,' and we endured.
"WE HAD NO CHANCE TO GET OUT OF THE ROOM" It is not possible for us to have clear information about the events. Only my daughter and son-in-law were on the top floor, and since there were grandchildren, they were staying in the suite room. My son-in-law's brother, may God have mercy on him, Enes... They were 2 floors down. Enes was a doctor. He did not go downstairs but apparently made a move towards his nephews. He was one floor above. Our children were completely in the room, on the top floor. My daughter had already said, 'We have no chance to get out of the room; more smoke is coming from outside.'
"WE TRIED TO CALL BUT COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING DUE TO THE SMOKE" My daughter and my children's spiritual feelings were quite high. She tried to live in accordance with the pleasure of my Lord. I never heard her scream even once during the fire. She said, 'Mom, there is nothing we can do, forgive us.' I only heard my middle grandchild say, 'Selim, come here.' First, we tried to call with video, but we couldn't see anything due to the smoke.
"BABACAN AND ÖZEL SHARED OUR PAIN" Despite not following the media, we heard some things. After the fire, we saw some disinformation. These are being misunderstood. When our friend from the channel called me, I said, 'Let's meet when I come to Istanbul.' I saw that there were some news in some places as if they had come out of our mouths. I said, 'If there is a live broadcast, I will come out; our words are being distorted.' There are also problems in making these matters political material. I thought we should experience our own pain. There are certain negligent people responsible for this. They said that legal investigations are ongoing, and necessary decisions are being made.
I don't care about them. In the end, what has been done does not bring my children back; hopefully, we will try to keep their memories alive by establishing a foundation that befits their names. Our President graciously attended our funeral. Mr. Özgür Özel and political leaders like Ali Babacan also came. They tried to share our grief.
"THE THING THAT MADE ME SADDEST." (Did you identify them?) No. Our relatives who are doctors went to the Forensic Medicine Institute to identify our two children who were found two floors down. They were able to identify our doctor child and our pharmacist daughter. They identified them in Bolu. Unfortunately, my daughter, son-in-law, and four grandchildren went to the Forensic Medicine Institute in Ankara. Their identification could only be done the next day. Our Interior Minister and our President were able to follow up. Three of my grandchildren came by helicopter to make it to the funeral. The thing that made me saddest, that hurt me the most. Many of my relatives had passed away before. At the last moment, I must have opened their shrouds, and if I was sincere, I must have looked at them and kissed them. I buried the bodies of five of my children. But I couldn't open their faces. We are saddened by this.