An expert report has concluded that six public officials were at fault in the demolition of the İsias Hotel in Aydın, Turkey, which collapsed during the February 2023 earthquakes.
According to the report, the then-Adıyaman Deputy Mayor, the Municipality’s Zoning Director, and the Chief Civil Engineer responsible for the building’s construction were among those found culpable. However, the report stated that the Zoning Director, Building Control Unit officials, and other technical staff were not responsible for the collapse.
The third hearing in the trial of the public officials is scheduled for November 6.
Families demand full accountability
Families of the victims — known as the Champion Angels, a group of students and teachers who lost their lives in the hotel — expressed outrage over the findings, saying it is unacceptable that not all responsible officials are being held accountable.
Ruşen Yücesoylu Karakaya, President of the Champion Angels Survival Association, who lost her daughter Selin in the disaster, said:
“If those signatures hadn’t been made, our children and teachers would be alive today.”
Pervin Aksoy İpekçioğlu, who lost her daughter Serin at the İsias Hotel, added:
“Every municipal employee who signed an expired and invalid hotel license in an earthquake zone, using incomplete documents as if it were valid, must be held accountable in court.”
