In Düzce, students from Azmimilli Primary School carried out an awareness campaign to commemorate the children who lost their lives in a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center. AA photo.
The relatives of those who lost loved ones in last year’s hotel fire at a ski resort in the northern province of Bolu have recounted their stories, with the grief remaining fresh in their hearts.
Nearly a year has passed since the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya Ski Resort on Jan. 21, 2025, which killed 78 people and injured 137. The nearly of half of the victims was children as the fire coincided with the mid-term break of the schools.
Speaking to the media, Yüksel Gültekin, who lost eight relatives in the fire, said he still feels the pain of that day as sharply as they did when it happened.
Gültekin lost his sons Bilal and Enes, his daughter Rümeysa, his daughter-in-law Zehra Sena, and his grandchildren Yusuf Sinaneddin, Muhammet Selim and Bekir Sadık Gültekin, as well as Sümeyye Güner.
He honors their memory by tying balloons to his grandchildren’s graves, which are adorned with pinwheels, and engaging in charitable activities in their name.
“I visit the cemetery every day, whether I’m heading to work in the morning or returning home in the evening. Even if I’m out of town, I make sure to visit at 2 or 3 a.m. if necessary,” he said.
“In winter, the balloons don’t last as long, so we replace them three times a week. In summer, they last a bit longer. This is psychological. Seeing my children in the balloons as I release them gives me a sense of them being alive. This is how our minds cope now,” he said.
Mehmet Güner, who lost several family members shared the same feeling, saying that their pain remains as fresh as ever.
“The suffering we feel is indescribable. No court decision or anything else can bring our loved ones back. Over time, the pain persists. Even if we try to distract ourselves with other things, it never leaves our minds. Coping with this grief is extremely difficult. Right now, the only thing we can do is pray for our children. We ask God for patience. Beyond that, there’s nothing more to say,” Güner stated.
The tragedy — in which guests and staff leapt from windows to escape smoke- and flame-filled rooms, or used bedsheets to lower themselves from upper floors — sent shockwaves across Türkiye and fueled widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations.
The court last year handed multiple aggravated life sentences to 11 defendants, including hotel owner Halit Ergül, for their roles in the deadly hotel fire.
