Families of children from North Cyprus killed in the quake: 'We owe justice to our children'

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65 people were killed in the February 6 earthquakes staying in the same hotel in Adıyaman. 

35 lives were lost from the girls' and boys' volleyball teams of 6th-grade students from North Cyprus. They were staying in the Grand Isias hotel in order to participate in the volleyball tournament in Adıyaman.

The other 30 were tour guides staying in the hotel for a training program held in Adıyaman. 

There should not be confidentiality in the case file

The families of the children in North Cyprus are angry that a confidentiality order was issued on the case file.

The group of 39 from the Gazimağusa College girls' and boys' volleyball teams staying in the Grand Isias hotel in Adıyaman was caught there in the February 6 earthquakes.

Four were able to get out of the wreckages of the hotel themselves in the first hours following the earthquake, but only one of the remaining 35 in the group could be rescued alive until now.

The hotel belongs to Ahmet Bozkurt who is a member of the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), a foundation that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son Bilal Erdoğan sit on the high advisory board. It turned out that poor quality materials had been used in the construction of the hotel in which 65 people were killed in the earthquakes.

Families in pain

"My son was my first child. He had his dreams, his hopes. He was a very good student. We are very sorry. We all have a common cause as families."

"We owe our children justice now. We do not accept the confidentiality order on the file. We want the order to be changed."

The person objecting to the confidentiality order is the mother of 12-year-old İzcan Nurluöz from North Cyprus who died under the wreckage of the Grand Isias hotel.

İhsan and Feriha Nurluöz, the father and mother of İzcan told bianet that they all have a common cause as the families and that they would be following the law case together.

İhsan Nurluöz explained that they have set up a law committee made up of six lawyers. He said, "We do not want justice only for our child. We want justice for all our children who died in that hotel and their teachers."

"We are very sorry. Our children were the best students here. İzcan was also a successful student and a good friend to all the other children."

"We are just beginning to talk"

The families want that not only those who constructed the building but all those who are responsible should stand trial.

Earthquakes occur in every country but such destruction does not occur in each country, they say. Appropriate measures have not been taken in Türkiye, we understand that.

"They cannot explain this as fate," they say.

Feriha Nurluöz, İzcan's mother said, "There is nothing to end our pain. We are in great pain. Our children died because of negligence.

We want those who are responsible to stand trial. This problem is beyond politics. We are not interested in politics, we want those who are responsible to be tried."

"There is nothing we can do now. But we have not finished what we are going to say, we are just beginning to talk. What we owe our children is to bring justice for them."

"Concrete quality extremely low"

65 people were killed in the February 6 earthquakes staying in the same hotel in Adıyaman including 35 students, teachers, and parents from North Cyprus, and 30 tour guides.

An examination report has been prepared about the collapsed building after the earthquake by East Mediterranean University Civil Engineering department academicians Prof. Serhan Şensoy, Prof. Özgür Eren, Prof. Umut Türker, Ass. Prof. Eriş Uygar and Ass. Prof. Mehmet C. Geneş. 

The examination report states that "the concrete quality was extremely low."

A case was filed related to the losses of life in the hotel at the hotel but a confidentiality order was issued on the file.

The owner of the hotel and three managers have been detained and jailed pending trial in the scope of the investigation. (EMK/PE)