dpa
Istanbul
A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced the owner and architect of a hotel that collapsed in the 2023 earthquake, killing 72 people, to more than 18 years in prison.
The court also handed down jail terms of between eight to over 17 years to four other defendants.
Among the victims of the collapse were 26 school volleyball team members from northern Cyprus.
They were staying at the Isias Hotel in south-eastern Adiyaman province for a tournament when the February 2023 earthquake struck.
The quake killed over 60,000 people in south-eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
The court in Adiyaman sentenced hotel owner Ahmet Bozkurt and architect Erdem Yilmaz to 18 years and five months in prison for “causing death or injury of more than one person by gross negligence,” state news agency Anadolu reported.
Five of the total of 11 defendants were acquitted, Anadolu reported.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel told reporters in Adiyaman that the verdict was not enough and that it would be appealed at a higher court, according to Anadolu.
Experts back then contended the hotel had major construction defects, similar to thousands of other collapsed buildings in the region.
The Turkish government had come under fire for not filing lawsuits against public officials who issued construction permits for the buildings.
