A grim tally of disasters, claiming 54,780 lives in Turkey over the past two decades under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), including the recent deadly fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel, reveals a pattern of government negligence, critics say, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
The list of disasters is long and tragic. The devastating earthquakes in February 2023, which affected 11 provinces in the country’s south and southeast, killed tens of thousands of people and left millions homeless, laid bare the government’s failure to enforce building codes and prepare for such a disaster. Critics pointed to widespread corruption and a lack of transparency in the construction industry, allowing substandard buildings to be erected.
Another instance where serious deficiencies in building codes and emergency response were apparent was during the 2011 Van earthquake, which claimed over 600 lives.
Beyond natural disasters, preventable tragedies have also claimed countless lives. Train accidents, like the 2018 Çorlu crash that killed 25 people in northwestern Turkey, have been attributed to inadequate maintenance and a lack of investment in rail infrastructure.
The 2014 Soma mine disaster, in which 301 miners perished, exposed a history of lax safety regulations and a lack of oversight in the mining industry. The 2022 Amasra mine explosion that killed 42 miners exposed a dangerous disregard for worker safety.
In fact Turkey has lost at least 2,188 miners in work-related accidents since the AKP came to power in November 2002.
The most recent case, a deadly fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel on Tuesday, tragically highlights this pattern of negligence.
The fire, which claimed 78 lives, exposed a litany of safety failures, including non-functioning fire alarms, the absence of sprinklers and insufficient emergency exits. Experts have pointed to evidence of inadequate inspections and a lack of enforcement of safety regulations.
The government’s response to these tragedies has often been inadequate. Investigations are frequently delayed or mishandled, and accountability for those responsible is rarely pursued. This lack of action has fueled public anger and eroded trust in the government’s ability to protect its citizens.
For example victims of the Soma mining accident have been waiting for justice for over a decade. While 51 people stood trial, only 28 labor inspectors who worked for the Ministry of Labor and Social Security at the time were charged with negligence in the incident. Others, such as executives of the company responsible, Soma Coal Enterprises, were acquitted of all charges and walked free.
Many contractors and businesses responsible for constructing substandard buildings were acquitted following the February 6, 2023 earthquakes. Veli Küçük, secretary-general of the Turkish Bar Association, told BBC Turkish that prosecutors found no legal grounds to pursue cases against them. “Public officials who turned a blind eye despite knowing these buildings couldn’t withstand an earthquake, along with complicit contractors and businesses, were all acquitted,” Küçük said. “No one — from the government to local municipalities to the builders — faced any consequences for the lack of adherence to building regulations.”
Critics argue that these disasters are not isolated incidents but rather the symptom of deeper problems: a systemic failure to prioritize public safety and a culture of impunity for those who put profit over people. They call for urgent reforms to improve building codes, strengthen safety regulations and ensure accountability for those responsible for preventable tragedies.
