21.01.2026 07:52
On the first anniversary of the fire disaster at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, which claimed the lives of 78 people, including 34 children, grieving families gathered in front of the hotel. At 03:17, the time when the tragedy occurred, the families released wish lanterns into the sky, remembering their lost loved ones with tears.
It has been exactly 1 year since the fire tragedy that devastated Turkey. In the fire that occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a total of 78 people, including 34 children, lost their lives.
In the legal proceedings initiated after the incident, record prison sentences were given to the defendants, including hotel owners and managers, for "possible intent" and "conscious negligence" crimes. However, on the anniversary of the tragedy, which has not ceased to bring pain, the survivors were once again at the scene.
"ANGEL" SYMBOLS WERE DISPLAYED AT THE BURNED HOTEL
In Kartalkaya, where the temperature dropped below zero at midnight, families gathered in front of the hotel building at 03:17. During the emotional ceremony, the names of the deceased were projected onto the hotel wall along with 'Angel' symbols representing them. Families released wish lanterns into the sky for their lost children, spouses, and siblings.
"UNFORTUNATELY, MY HUSBAND LIVED THAT HELL"
Menşure Akişli, who lost her spiritual daughter Mina and her husband Şenol Akişli in the fire tragedy, said, "It was a very painful night. I came here with my feet dragging. But no helplessness can be greater than the helplessness my husband experienced. Because my husband woke up and called the fire department multiple times. I comforted myself a little thinking he never woke up. I thought, 'He didn't suffer, he didn't think of his mother, son, daughter, or wife.' Unfortunately, my husband lived that hell."
"THERE IS A PERSON HERE WHO HAS LOST EVERYTHING"
Oktay Akişli, who lost his brother Şenol Akişli, his niece Mina Akişli, and his mother Gülçin Akişli in the fire tragedy, said, "I lost my mother, my brother, and my niece in this fire. I lost my father 78 days after the incident. So there is a person here who has lost everything. Dozens of families' homes have been extinguished. They took away the dreams and hopes of dozens of people."