At 04:17 on February 6, 2023, the ground began to shake in Antakya in the far southeast of Turkey. Although the epicenter was several miles away, it shook most strongly here. – I was completely paralyzed and had to be helped out onto the street, says journalist Burcu Øzkaya Gunaydin. She was among the lucky ones. Her block remained standing, while neighboring blocks collapsed. – We dug up an infant and laid the dead body on a blanket. Then we pulled out a woman whom I had greeted the day before, and put her there, she says and points. – It is not possible to describe the pain I felt. I asked myself why I lived, and felt no joy. EARTHQUAKE: When news arrived in Hatay on 7 February 2023, people shouted into the piles of rubble in the hope of getting answers. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Around the block there is an open space where the other homes stood. Writing and reporting became Gunaydin’s way of processing his impressions. Just two hours after the earthquake, Gunaydin published his first news story in the Gazete Duvar newspaper. Since then, it has not been about anything else for the local newspaper journalist. RUINS: Burcu Øzkaya Gunaydin passes piles of rubble and blocks to be demolished in the center of Antakya. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Smell of death The Turkish city that was once Syria’s capital, and where Christians sought refuge, was left in ruins. So did many other towns and villages in southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. One year later, most of the piles of rubble have been cleared away, but a sickening and sweet smell of death can still be felt in some places. Several thousand destroyed apartment blocks have been evacuated. In Antakya alone, around 25,000 buildings must be demolished, according to official figures. DEsolation: The center of Antakya, which before the earthquake had 400,000 inhabitants, is empty of people. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news – The rescue work started late and the authorities were slow to start the clean-up. They only started the demolition after the summer of last year, says Gunaydin. Thinks Erdogan is threatening At the weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the earthquake-affected areas. In his speech in the province of Hatay, where Antakya is located, he suggested that the aid depends on whether residents vote for his party in local elections on March 31. Today, the opposition party CHP governs there. – If central and local authorities do not cooperate, nothing will come to the province. Did Hatay receive any help? Now Hatay is in a miserable state, it is poor, Erdogan said. The opposition criticizes the speech and believes it is a threat to withhold aid if his AKP party does not get the most votes. BRANCHES: Over 600,000 live in barracks in the area where the earthquakes hit. Photo: news Over 600,000 people live in makeshift barracks while they wait for reconstruction. Yeliz Zaif and her extended family have bought three shipping containers to live in. They are not entitled to help because their uninhabitable home is considered to have moderate damage. When news asks her how she is, she breaks down. – We have lost the life we had, and are fighting to start again. It’s not easy, says Zaif, choking back tears. GRIEF: Yeliz Zaif is distraught at having lost everything the family owned in the earthquake a year ago. Photo: NRKSORG: Yeliz Zaif is distraught at having lost everything the family owned in the earthquake a year ago. Photo: news The son and daughter have to be driven a long way to go to school, and the bakery they ran is gone. Now they have borrowed money to try to start up again. – We had a good time, lived in nice houses and had cafes, restaurants and beautiful parks. We could go away on holiday, but now we have nothing, she says. Journalist Gunaydin also lives in a barracks. The dust hangs over the area because an excavator nearby is clearing space for future blocks. – I have washed these clothes twice, says Gunaydin and laughs, as she hangs the laundry up between the barracks. DUST: There is a lot of dust in the ruined city. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Although her job as a journalist provides a certain security, she is uncertain about tomorrow. – People complain a lot about the uncertainty, which I also struggle with. It’s hard to hold on, she says. Soon she will sit down to write another case for the local newspaper. It is about the fact that many missing persons have still not been found in the ruins. THERAPY: For Burcu Øzkaya Gunaydin, writing has been therapy Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Don’t know where the grandchild is One of those Gunaydin has interviewed is Remziya Bozdemir. She lost both her sons, two daughters-in-law and a grandson in the quake. The elderly woman was present when rescue workers found her one son dead, but she still does not know where her grandson Ømer is. There are potted flowers in the hallway, which she hopes to one day plant on his grave. – He was the child of my heart, she says and shows a picture of a boy with a big smile under his blond bangs. SEARCHER: The grandmother is looking for answers to where the grandchild is. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Ømer would have been four years old today, but was only three. Remziya Bozdemir has taken a DNA test, because many dead are buried in anonymous graves or lie crushed in the ruins. The grandmother wants answers. – I won’t rest until then. The earthquake in Turkey and Syria * On the night of Monday 6 February 2023, south-eastern Turkey and north-western Syria were hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. * The epicenter was in Turkey. The earthquake is the deadliest in the world in over 50 years. * At least 59,000 people lost their lives, of which around 6,000 in Syria. It is unclear how many are missing. * The UN estimates that 1.5 million people became homeless. Over 600,000 people live in shantytowns * President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised in the presidential election campaign last year to build over 300,000 homes within one year and a total of 680,000 homes within two years. * The promises have not been fulfilled. According to the Urbanization Minister, 75,000 homes will be ready within two months. Source: NTB and news
ttn-69
Dead neighbors dug out after the earthquake in Turkey – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
