14.05.2025 23:21
In the parliamentary commission established to investigate the fire disaster in Kartalkaya, Bolu Governor Aydın commented on the statement of a mother who lost her two children in the fire: "One of them approached me and said, 'The governor is upset. Don't cry here.' When we spoke, I said, 'I don't think they would say that to someone who has lost two children. I called you as a father, not as a governor. I share your pain,' and we reconciled."
The Hotel Fire Investigation Commission at the TBMM Kartalkaya Ski Resort convened under the chairmanship of AK Party Erzurum Deputy Selami Altınok. In the 15th meeting of the commission, Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydın made a presentation.
"NO ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION PERMIT HAS BEEN ISSUED SINCE 2009" Providing information about the distance of the hotel area where the fire broke out to Bolu city center, Governor Aydın conveyed to the commission the processes regarding the applications and documents obtained by Kartal I, Kartal II, and Grand Kartal hotels for compliance with permits and regulations from 1971 to the present. Aydın stated that the parent company of the hotel belonged to Mazhar Murtezaoğlu, and after Murtezaoğlu's passing, he transferred Kartal I and Kartal II hotels to his son Harun Murtezaoğlu, while the Grand Kartal Hotel, where the fire broke out, was left to his daughter Emin Murtezaoğlu Ergün and Halit Ergün. Governor Aydın also added that no additional construction permits were issued for the hotel from 2009 until the date of the fire.
"NO PERMIT REQUIRED ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS" Indicating that the hotel photo used by Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan in his presentation to the commission belonged to Kartal I Hotel, Aydın showed the commission a photo of the hotel where the fire occurred, stating that the sides of the hotel were increased by 3 floors with an additional construction permit in 1999, the lobby was extended, and a canopy was built at the back. However, it was determined that the photo included in Governor Aydın's presentation did not reflect the hotel's final state and that a 70 square meter structure, for which a fire compliance certificate was applied to the municipality in 2024 but the application was withdrawn after the fire department identified 8 major deficiencies, was not included in the photo. Governor Aydın stated that this structure was not an independent or illegal building, but an integral part of the hotel building, and according to the regulations, no permit was required.
"I CALLED YOU AS A FATHER, NOT AS A GOVERNOR" İYİ Party Çanakkale Deputy Rıdvan Uz recalled the statement of Duygu Can, who lost two children in the fire, saying, "Someone approached me and said, 'The Governor is upset. Don't cry here.'" He asked, "Was there any communication with this family afterward?"
Governor Aydın stated that they spoke with Duygu Can after her statement, saying: "We talked with Duygu. That day we had set up a crisis center at Kartal II Hotel. When I entered the hall, I saw Duygu, she was very upset. I had clothes that were badly soiled with mud, and 'Governor' was not written on my forehead. We had determined a few points to provide information to the families. Duygu had come all the way to us, passing those points. We saw her, I went to her, I had the lists of the deceased in my hand. Duygu probably could not find her children on that list. I checked the lists of the deceased on my phone. They were not on the first list, but I saw their names on the second list. The mother was in shock, and I didn't want to tell her. I called male relatives and said, 'My condolences, your children are at this hospital, I am calling the hospital chief. Please go there, let us assist with the necessary procedures.' When we spoke with Duygu on the phone, I said, 'As a 25-year public servant, I don't think any of us or those working with me would use such expressions that would hurt others. I don't think they would say this to someone who lost two children. I called you as a father, not as a governor. I share your pain,' and we reconciled on the phone. I have been a governor for 3 months, and I faced such an incident. It was truly one of the difficult times in my professional life."
"THERE WAS NO INTENT BY THE RELEVANT PERSON, IT WAS DONE TO HELP" MHP Elazığ Deputy Semih Işıkver asked whether the refrigerated truck belonging to a food company, which was brought for funeral identification after the fire, belonged to the Bolu Governor's Office or the Bolu Municipality Disaster Affairs Directorate. In response, Governor Aydın said: "When this news was published, we were with our Ministers. There is a provincial risk reduction project in every province. The burial working group is also affiliated with the municipality. I called the owner of the company and asked, 'Who called you?' They had called their General Manager, and he learned and provided the phone number. When I called, the person on the other end answered the phone saying, 'Yes, my Governor.' He said, 'I am the Municipal Disaster Affairs Director,' and I asked, 'Did you call this company, what was the need for such a thing?' I think the man did his job because the morgue capacities in hospitals were known. He said, 'I called that company because we anticipated there would be many casualties.' That place was only used for identification purposes. The relevant person had no intent, in my opinion; he did it to help."
"WHAT HAPPENED?" In the previous meeting of the commission, Duygu Can, who lost her son and daughter in the fire, stated that there was no guidance after the fire, saying, "Someone approached me and said, 'The Governor is upset, don't cry here.' While I was losing the children I dedicated my life to, my pain was even considered a disturbance, and my tears were attempted to be suppressed. At that moment, I understood. We were alone there. I ask you, why was this commission established? This commission should never have been established.
We should not have been here for such a reason. Precautions should have been taken before this massacre occurred. I should not have to pay the price of being a mother in this country like this. The consequence of giving birth, raising a child, and living for them should not be this. What I have experienced is not just the pain of a mother, but a suffering that the conscience of this country must bear. I know my children will not come back. We will not be able to bring back a single strand of their hair. The duty of this commission, the duty of the Parliament should now be to take a step so that no other Nehir's or Doruk's are burned again," she said.