07.07.2025 18:21
Lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who lost 8 family members in the hotel fire in Kartalkaya, made statements to reporters in front of the school where the trial was held. Gültekin, whose words were heart-wrenching, said, "I go to the grave twice. I go in the morning and I go in the afternoon. I attach three balloons every day to each of my four grandchildren, as those who know me are aware."
In the hotel fire tragedy in Kartalkaya, lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who buried 8 members of his family, said, "I go to the grave twice. I go in the morning and I go in the afternoon. I put three balloons on each of my 4 grandchildren every day, as those who know me are aware," which broke hearts.
A trial with 32 defendants has begun regarding the hotel fire at Kartalkaya Ski Resort, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 were injured.
DEFENDANTS IN COURT FOR THE FIRST TIME While the families of the deceased and members of the press attended the trial, lawyer Yüksel Gültekin, who lost a total of 8 relatives including his sons Bilal Gültekin, Enes Gültekin, daughter Rümeysa Gültekin, daughter-in-law Sena Gültekin, and 4 grandchildren, made statements to reporters in front of the school where the hearing was held.
WORDS THAT BROKE HEARTS Yüksel Gültekin expressed, "I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who is here with us today, including representatives of political parties, you, the public, our loved ones, and supporters, and to everyone who keeps this tragic event in the spotlight. Today is the 167th day. We believe our children were martyred in this accident. I am the father of 38-year-old Bilal Gültekin, 38-year-old Zehra Sena Gültekin, 35-year-old pharmacist Rümeysa Gültekin, 32-year-old doctor Enes Gültekin, 11-year-old Sümeyye, 8-year-old Yusuf Sinaneddin, 5-year-old Muhammed Selin, and 2.5-year-old Bekir Sadık.
Today is the 167th day. My children were very precious, and I believe that the families of the other 70 children who were martyred in this incident share the same feelings as I do. For the past 167 days, we have not been able to eat, drink, or sleep in any way. Days and nights have blended together. Of course, it is not possible to bring our children back," he said.
"AN INCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A PROPERTY DAMAGE TURNED INTO A TRAGEDY" Gültekin stated, "Our only duty from now on is to ensure that the families of the hotel owners, who went up and down to their rooms 2-3 times during the fire that lasted for about an hour, are held accountable. My children Rümeysa, Bilal, and Enes were on the 6th floor. If they had not been concerned with covering up the two cars in the garage, this incident, which could have been resolved with perhaps just property damage, unfortunately turned into a historical tragedy. I am 61 years old, and so is my wife. I have lost my entire family. During our lifetime, we now have only one goal.
Those responsible for this incident, from the receptionist to the chef, the hotel owner, and the manager, must be punished. I also thank the prosecutor. A meticulous investigation was conducted. I will be following this professionally. But unfortunately, those who are currently on trial may be less guilty than the officials of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, who, under the guise of protecting the law, have unfortunately not been brought to justice. We have only one duty. We ask for your sensitivity and support on this matter. Our Minister of Justice has a saying: 'No one is above the law and the regulations.' As a lawyer with 35 years of experience, I completely agree," he said.
"VERY SERIOUS DEFICIENCIES RELATED TO THE FIRE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED" Referring to the expert report in the case, Yüksel Gültekin stated, "The expert examination determined that the officials of the Ministry of Tourism are primarily responsible, and the officials of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security are also primarily responsible. This hotel, such a tourism facility, has not had a Public Health Safety expert for 3 years. Before that, they only employed a Public Health Safety expert for 10 minutes. It is very painful that the officials of the Ministry of Tourism have a report in the file. They conducted an inspection here in 2005 and prepared a report. They identified very serious deficiencies related to the fire. Ultimately, they did not take any action. In 2008, they prepared a report in the same way and took no action," he said.
"I PUT THREE BALLOONS ON MY GRANDCHILDREN'S GRAVES" Gültekin said, "As you can imagine, counting 8 children, which tires a person, for 167 days... I go to the grave twice. I go in the morning and I go in the afternoon. It is impossible to understand this psychology. I put three balloons on each of my 4 grandchildren every day, as those who know me are aware. I bought a balloon machine. When the balloons fly in the air, they feel alive. I know that not much will be achieved on the first day, but I will follow this process," he said.