Tevfik Bayram, the owner of Van’s Bayram Hotel which collapsed during an aftershock that followed a 6.0-magnitude quake that struck the province, has been arrested for murder due to gross negligence.
Bayram was taken into custody on June 26 in the southern province of Antalya by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command and sent to Van under police escort. He has not delivered a statement to the court as of yet.
Bayram Hotel, which was at least 40 years old, collapsed during an aftershock that occurred in Van. The hotel had supposedly been inspected and declared stable; however, it crumbled during the second quake, trapping a still undetermined number of people under tons of concrete and twisted metal in a grim replay of earlier scenes of destruction. The hotel had served as a base for many journalists and aid workers who went to Van to report on the aftermath of the quake and assist with rescue efforts.
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