A young woman saving to pay for college was burnt beyond recognition when her colleague lit a cigarette as she was filling bottles with disinfectant.

Havva Oz had started work at a five-star hotel restaurant in Manavgat in south-western Turkey’s Antalya Province in June to be able to pay for her university studies.

But she was badly injured in an accident on 8th August when her colleague used a lighter, and her uniform, which was covered in traces of disinfectant, caught fire.

Another colleague managed to extinguish the flames, but Havva was badly burnt and had to be admitted to Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital.

Havva remains in the Burn Intensive Care Unit and is only able to breathe and feed through a tube placed into a hole in her throat.

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Manavgat launched an investigation into the case on 11th August.

The colleague who went to light a cigarette and caused the fire has been identified only as A. H. T..

Havva had been looking forward to studying Accounting and Tax at Isparta University of Applied Sciences with her twin sibling Ali.

But while Ali was able to start the programme, Havva has had to postpone her studies.

Their mother, Fatma Oz, told of the pain of not being able to see her daughter until more than 50 days after the accident due to the risk of infection.

She told local media: “My daughter cried when she saw me, so did I. I said, ‘Don’t cry, dear, you’ll be fine.’ She held my hands tightly. She lay without moving at all.”

Her father, meanwhile, complained to local media that no one from the hotel had even bothered to call them after the accident happened.

Ahmet Ali Oz said: “My daughter’s life is still at risk, and her treatment will take a long time.”

Their lawyer, Ezgi Eroglu, shockingly pointed out that there have been more workplace accidents in Turkish hotels than in the country’s construction industry in recent years.

She said they would launch legal proceedings after the prosecution completes its investigation.