35 children from northern Cyprus also died in a hotel in Adiyaman during the severe earthquake in Turkey. Their families are now demanding clarification: why the building collapsed and the rescuers came so late?
Picture of Isias Hotel in Adiyaman before the earthquake
Enver Karakaya still can hardly put his grief into words. His 14-year-old daughter stayed at a hotel in Adiyaman, Turkey, from February 5 to 6. “We went insane when we saw on Twitter that the hotel had collapsed. We booked a flight but all flights were cancelled,” he tells DW Families and the rescue workers organized a special flight. “We only arrived on site in the evening. We saw the collapsed building. But no rescue work was going on.”
Karakaya's daughter Selin was part of a children's volleyball team from Famagusta in northern Cyprus and actually wanted to take part in a tournament in Turkey. She and all her team members died when the Isaias Hotel in Adiyaman collapsed on February 6th.
The hotel made a “good impression” in the photos, which is why it was chosen by the parents. “We thought that we were putting our children in safe hands,” reports Enver Karakaya. But then it turned out that what was actually an uninhabitable building had been refurbished and turned into a hotel. “We sent our children to the grave,” says Karakaya through tears.
14-year-old Selin Karakaya died in hotel collapse
Northern Cypriots are outraged
Not only the parents of the children killed are outraged by the events. “The whole of Cyprus is in shock, and in Famagusta there is an atmosphere of sadness,” says Hasan Esendagli, President of the Cyprus-Turkish Bar Association, in an interview with DW: “Everyone is shocked by the news. There is not one in the country People who do not feel directly affected by the losses.”
The country's parliament is also dealing with the death of the northern Cypriot children: an investigative commission was even set up. MP Dogus Derya from the Turkish Republican Party (CTP) told DW that Parliament would do everything it could to hold those responsible accountable.
Bad building material
Evidence is now mounting that the hotel was built in a non-compliant manner. A study report by the East Mediterranean University in Famagusta, which is available to DW, says that river pebbles and sand were mixed into the concrete to save costs. “The rubble found on site was carefully analyzed. It was found that the quality of the concrete was demonstrably low,” the report said. The building was built more than 30 years ago as a residential building, but was later converted into a commercial building and over time was expanded by two floors. This type of building extension is a common practice in Turkey's construction industry.
The report concludes: “The building, whose base and pillars were originally designed for five floors, was not built in the right way. The floor extension was a serious mistake. The building would have collapsed even with earthquakes of less magnitude.”
Images from the investigation report: Inferior building materials were used in the construction of the hotel
Meanwhile, the hotel management is under investigation. Three hotel operators have now been arrested. The Bozkurt family, to which all three arrested persons belong, is actually known for having good relations with the Turkish government. One of those arrested, Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt, was elected to the Adiyaman municipal council as an AKP politician in 2014. In total, the Turkish authorities have so far arrested 131 people in connection with the earthquake; Main reason: botched construction.
“Sandcastles are being built”
Northern Cyprus MP Derya blames the Turkish state for the earthquake. They have learned nothing from the mistakes of the past. “After the great earthquake of 1999 in Turkey, some building contractors were made scapegoats and sentenced. We don't think it's enough that people are doing this again. Our fight is for the political order that allows buildings to be built like sandcastles and collapse.” , says Derya.
Cyprus is a de facto divided island in the Mediterranean. The “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, or Northern Cyprus for short, is recognized in the world only by Turkey. However, Northern Cyprus has its own political administration, its own government and independent social institutions such as schools and hospitals. It works closely with the Turkish government in Ankara, but is not fully dependent on it.
Divided island: The border crossing between the (Greek) Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Mourning also lost 30 travel guides
In addition to the children from Cyprus, the earthquake also killed 30 Turkish travel guides The Turkish tourism association TUREB also filed a complaint against the hotel for her death. TUREB Managing Director Hakan Ekinlioglu told DW that they wanted to work for justice: “We are in close contact with the families. They also want those responsible to be punished. Our lawyers will follow the process closely.”
Collaboration: Burak Ünveren