The fourth day of the Kartalkaya trial! The wife of Halit Ergül, who is alleged to have eaten fruit after the fire, spoke out.

10.07.2025 09:50

The first hearing of the trial regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya, which claimed the lives of 78 people, is continuing on its fourth day. Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, the wife of hotel owner Halit Ergül and a board member, responded to claims that "they were eating fruit at the opposite hotel during the fire" by saying, "I wanted to distribute fruit and water to people. We were judged without knowing what we experienced."

In the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 individuals are being prosecuted, the trial of 32 defendants, 19 of whom are in custody, is continuing in a specially created courtroom in the sports hall of Bolu Social Sciences High School by the Bolu 1st Heavy Penal Court. The trial is ongoing on the fourth day of the first hearing with the defendants' defenses.

"I SURVIVED BY CHANCE, I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING WITHOUT LENSES"

After the daughters of Grand Kartal Hotel owner Halit Ergül, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu and Elif Aras, the defense was made by Halit Ergül's wife and a member of the company's board of directors, Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül. Ergül stated that she was in the hotel on the night of the incident and survived by chance.

Ergül, who was arrested two months after the incident, explained in her defense that she has a congenital visual impairment and uses lenses, recounting her experiences on the day of the incident as follows:

"I was there on the night of the incident, I survived by chance. When I heard sounds coming from the corridor, I jumped out of bed. I have a congenital visual impairment. I use special lenses of size 25.5, and I can't see anything without them. My daughter called, and I told her, 'Put a wet towel at the door, don't go into the corridor.' There was a roof in front of my room. Someone jumped there and asked for a blanket. I gave whatever I could find. I also told my daughter, 'Break the window.' My husband was at Gazelle Hotel, and I called him to ask for help. There were people inside. The smoke was terrible. I tried to help people, I tried to go, but I couldn't reach them. There was a lot of dust and smoke. Those who wear lenses know; dust and dryness affect the eyes very badly. That's why I couldn't go, I went outside. They were rescuing people from the 6th and 7th floors with a tall ladder. They rescued me with that ladder. There were a lot of people; everyone who came out was running around."

"I WANTED TO DISTRIBUTE THE FRUITS TO PEOPLE"

On the first day of the hearing, Zeynep Kotan, a member of the "We Have No Other Lives" Association, made a press statement on behalf of the relatives of those who lost their lives in the fire, saying, "Even during the fire, the owners, managers, and employees of Grand Kartal Hotel did nothing. They did not give any warning, nor did any alarm system activate. Guests were not awakened with a single word. While they were going to save their cars, our loved ones were suffocating inside from the smoke. While our loved ones were choosing death, the hotel owners had already moved to the opposite hotel. They were eating their fruits. What kind of indifference is this, what kind of mercilessness, what kind of inhumanity is this?"

Responding to the fruit allegations in court, Emine Mürtezaoğlu Ergül said, "We walked to Dorukkaya to avoid the possibility of the fire spreading. I am 65 years old, I can't see. I had three children with me. I went to the manager of Dorukkaya Hotel and said, 'Please help, there may still be people inside.' There was water and fruit at Dorukkaya Hotel. I wanted to take it and distribute it to people. A lot has been said about these images, but we were judged without knowing what we experienced. I was desperate at that moment. I was questioning what I could do. After a while, the gendarmerie surrounded the hotel, and they wouldn't let anyone close. We stayed at Gazelle Hotel for a few days, then I returned to Istanbul to be with my daughters."

"I WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE 'THIS FLOWER HASN'T BEEN WATERED' IN THE HOTEL"

Defendant Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül stated that she had no involvement in the hotel's operations, saying, "Ours is a family business. I did not deal with operations. My father did the same, and my husband did too. Occasionally, documents would come, and I would sign them. I took care of my children. I lived in Istanbul during my children's education. During this time, my parents became ill, and I took care of them. My father was bedridden for 5 years before he died, I had him admitted to Gazelle Hotel for care. Then I had grandchildren, and I supported them. I had no involvement in the hotel's operations, and I had no time. I would only say things like 'This flower hasn't been watered' when I went there," she said.

"HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ASKING HALIT"

The presiding judge asked the defendant if she had any duties according to the Trade Registry Gazette. The defendant replied, "Yes, I had such a duty. When my husband was not there, they would bring me documents, and I would sign them. I did not interfere with the hotel management. Emir Aras was the manager, but he wouldn't make decisions on his own; he would act by consulting my husband. My daughters would only come during holidays. They were also raising children and dealing with that. They live in Istanbul. Emir Aras or anyone else couldn't do anything without asking Halit," she replied.

When asked whether employees were given fire training or if there were fire extinguishers, the defendant said, "I don't know if there was training, but there were fire extinguishers in the corridors."