The trial of 1 defendants, including Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, continued in the case opened regarding the cable car accident in Konyaaltı district of Antalya, where 7 person lost his life and 12 people were injured. In the fifth hearing held at Antalya 6th High Criminal Court, the court panel lifted the judicial control measure against Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz and adjourned the case to September 19, 2025.
Attendance at the Hearing and Defenses
In today's hearing of the case, the defendants who are not under arrest, Ahmet Buğra S., Serdar T., Okan E., Serkan Y., Suphi K., Orhan K., Kazım K., Hüseyin A., Özgür E. and Aziz A. were present. Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz and another defendant, Edip Kemal B., did not attend the hearing.
The defendants' lawyers made their defense by drawing attention to the expert report of the Middle East Technical University (METU) Civil Engineering Department submitted to the court. The lawyers reminded that the report specifically stated that sufficient engineering service was not received in the structural design and connections of the number 5 pole where the accident occurred, and argued that the basis of the accident was not a maintenance error.
Kocagöz's International Travel Ban Lifted, Conditions for Other Defendants
During the hearing, Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz's lawyers requested the lifting of the international travel ban on their client. After a short break, the court evaluated this request and lifted the judicial control measure on Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz.
The court panel stated that if the other defendants who requested the removal of their judicial control submit the relevant documents, their requests would be decided after the panel convened and reviewed the documents. The court also stated that they were expecting an additional two-page report from ODTÜ regarding the accident. Following all these developments, the court panel postponed the next hearing of the case to September 19, 2025.
Background of the Cable Car Accident
A terrible accident occurred on April 12, 2024, at the cable car facility in Sarısu, one of Antalya's popular tourist attractions. While one person died after falling from a cabin that broke apart while en route, 1 people in the same cabin, including 2 children, were injured. A total of 7 people in the other 24 cabins that were suspended in the air due to a malfunction in the system were rescued after approximately 174 hours of difficult work.
In the indictment prepared by the Antalya Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the accident, 12 defendants, including Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz, were asked to be sentenced to up to 27 years in prison each for "causing death and injury through negligence" and "endangering traffic safety through negligence." The trial process continues with the aim of fully determining the causes of the accident and those responsible.
