The TRNC Parliament’s Temporary and Special Committee headed by Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu which is tasked with the duty of following the judicial process launched in Türkiye on the İsias Hotel collapse visited the site where the hotel building once stood.

Talking to the press after laying a wreath at the site, Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu said that the judicial process was being followed meticulously.

“We feel the pain and anguish of the Turkish Cypriot people and Türkiye as we stand here today. We will never forget the pain this disaster caused, nor will we give up until all those responsible are brought to justice,” the UBP MP said.

He also said that they had been briefed by the Governor’s Office and the Prosecutors Office on the latest concerning the investigation.

Hasipoğlu once again expressed the TRNC’s belief in the Turkish justice system.

Earlier on Tuesday, the delegation had met with the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s Earthquake Committee in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, Hasipoğlu said that Turkish officials were showing the necessary importance and attention to the files concerning TRNC citizens who perished in the February 6 earthquake.

“During all the contacts we held, we observed that the Turkish officials have a good grasp of the case,” he said, adding that the judicial process was being expedited with additional prosecutors from Hatay, Adıyaman and Osmaniye.

Hasipoğlu said that there were five persons arrested in connection with the criminal investigation launched into the İsias Hotel collapse.

He also said that concrete and other samples had been collected from the site.

“Unless there is an extraordinary situation each trial will take place in its own district. There is no confidentiality order concerning any of the cases,” the delegation head said.

Hasipoğlu pointed out that the owner of the Saray Hotel in Hatay where other TRNC citizens had died had also perished in the earthquake.

Members of the Gazimağusa Türk Maarif College’s youth volleyball team had perished in the rubble of İsias Hotel in Adiyaman, where they were staying when the catastrophic earthquakes struck Türkiye.

The group consisted of 24 students, four teachers, and eleven parents who travelled to Adiyaman to participate in a volleyball tournament.

Four people – a teacher and three parents – survived the collapse of the building.

Several other TRNC citizens had also died in Hatay and Osmaniye.