President Ersin Tatar has reassured the public that the legal process concerning the İsias Hotel in Adıyaman where the 24 member of the Gazimağusa Türk Maarif College Secondary School volleyball team as well as 11 of their parents and teachers perished in the recent earthquakes in southern Türkiye will be carried out with great sense of care and responsibility.

Tatar said that there was a conscientious responsibility towards the families of those who lost their loved ones for justice to be served.

In a written statement issued on Sunday, President Ersin Tatar said that his office as well as all relevant institutions within the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) worked hard from the minute the disaster struck Türkiye which resulted in the death of thousands of people including TRNC citizens.

Tatar said that he had once again conveyed to Türkiye’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ the Turkish Cypriot peoples’ and the TRNC’s demand for justice for those who perished under the rubble of the İsias Hotel in Adıyaman, Türkiye.

“I once again expressed our strong determination bringing to justice those who were responsible for this great tragedy that has befallen on our country. Rest assure that we will pursue the matter legally with great sensitivity and responsibility,” he said.

Tatar said that the Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ had given him the assurance that all that is necessary will be done and the relevant authorities had been instructed accordingly.

“The Turkish authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the matter and have arrested those responsible for the building code violations which led to this disaster, he said.

The president also said that he will not give up until justice is served.

Tatar added that it was important for the TRNC to be prepared for such disasters both in terms of preventing widespread destruction and upgrading the country’s search and rescues capabilities.