İsias Staff Member Zeynel Can: I Couldn't Have Escaped If the Hotel Had Collapsed in 5-10 Seconds

Zeynel Can, the 7th witness in the İsias case trial, mentioned that he had no family ties with the defendants but knew Ahmet Bozkurt, Efe Bozkurt, and Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt. Describing the moment of the earthquake, Can explained that he was working in the lobby, felt the tremor, ran outside to the east side of the hotel, and stopped after a while, unable to walk anymore. He recounted that the hotel collapsed towards the east. Zeynel Can emphasized that he was not injured during the earthquake.

Stating that Ahmet Bozkurt operated the hotel, and Efe Bozkurt had come four to five months before the earthquake, Can highlighted that Efe Bozkurt did not have the authority for personnel recruitment. Can mentioned, "Bozkurt had an office in the hotel, but he rarely appeared. He didn't stay in Adıyaman much. Efe and Mehmet Fatih Bozkurt also didn't go upstairs." Regarding the renovations in the hotel, he said, "Sandwich panels were installed, but I don't know anything else."

Responding to questions from plaintiff lawyers, Zeynel Can explained that he sat in the back of the lobby, which was about 100 meters from the place he sat to where he went out. He said, "If the hotel had collapsed in 5-10 seconds, I couldn't have escaped; I would have been trapped in the debris. I went out towards the east. Some of the hotel's debris went to the parking lot, and some went towards the road."

The plaintiff lawyers asked Can to indicate where the sandwich panel was in the structure based on the pictures. Can mentioned that the hotel had nine floors, and when it collapsed, a considerable height was created, and the debris piles corresponded to a three-story building.

Zeynel Can stated that the other collapsed building was in the west, and other buildings also collapsed towards the road. Starting his shift at 23:00, Can mentioned, "When I started working, the tour guides had already checked into the hotel. The records went to the police."

Can also mentioned that during the renovation in the hotel, a wall was demolished to expand the management's office by about 2 meters.

There was tension in the courtroom regarding the direction in which the building collapsed, as the witness provided different directions each time he was asked.

Due to the disputes between plaintiff and defense lawyers during the testimony of witness Zeynel Can, the trial was adjourned for half an hour.