Owner and architect of collapsed Turkish Isias hotel sentenced to prison after fatal earthquake

istanbul - The owner and architect of a Turkish hotel that collapsed during a devastating earthquake last year have been sentenced to over eighteen years in prison. 72 people died in the Isias hotel.

The two men were found to have acted grossly negligent due to serious structural flaws in the hotel, according to the verdict. Among the victims were members of a school volleyball team from Northern Cyprus. The government of this Turkish-controlled part of Cyprus deems the sentences too lenient and has announced an appeal against the ruling.

During the earthquake in early February 2023, at least 53,000 people died in Turkey, and at least 7,000 in the neighboring northern Syria.

Critics have accused the Turkish government of failing to provide aid during the earthquake. It has also been alleged that numerous structural flaws in buildings have been tolerated in the past.