The hotel owner's detained wife: I was able to put on my lenses with difficulty during the fire.

09.07.2025 19:33

In the case regarding the fire disaster in Kartalkaya, which claimed the lives of 78 people, Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, the wife of the hotel owner and a detained defendant, made striking statements during the hearing. Ergül stated, "We were there that night and we were lucky to escape. I managed to put on my lenses despite the difficulties during the fire."

Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, the wife of the hotel owner and a board member of Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya, made a defense statement regarding the fire that broke out, resulting in the loss of 78 lives. Ergül stated, "We were there that night and we were lucky to escape. I managed to put on my lenses with difficulty during the fire."

THE TRIAL CONTINUES IN THE KARTALKAYA TRAGEDY

The trial, held in a specially created hall at the gymnasium of Bolu Social Sciences High School by the Bolu 1st Heavy Penal Court, was attended by detained and non-detained defendants, those injured in the fire, relatives of the deceased, and attorneys for the parties. On the third day of the trial, Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, a board member of Grand Kartal A.Ş. and the 22nd defendant to give her defense, stated, "I managed to put on my lenses with difficulty during the fire."

"I MANAGED TO PUT ON MY LENSES WITH DIFFICULTY DURING THE FIRE"

Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, the wife of the hotel owner and a detained defendant who claims to have a 25% visual impairment from birth, said, "We were there that night and we were lucky to escape. I managed to put on my lenses with difficulty during the fire. I was completely in shock. I opened the door but couldn't get into the corridor. I went as far as two rooms and then turned back. I couldn't see anything due to the smoke. Soot was getting into my eyes. When I looked out the window, there was a crowd. They were rescuing people from the 6th and 7th floors with tall ladders, then it was my turn, and they rescued me too. I asked people for help to assist those remaining in the hotel. I was helpless; there was nothing I could do," she expressed.

"I CANNOT READ MOST OF THE DOCUMENTS"

Ergül, who stated that her daughters only came for vacation and that she signed documents without reading them, said, "Our company is a family business; documents would come, and I would sign them. My daughters would only come during vacations. Documents come to me, and I sign them; I can't read most of them anyway. I don't know if there was a fire team or a workplace safety expert at the hotel. I only know the head chef, who is one of the oldest employees," she said. After the defendant's statement, the trial continues with cross-examination.