– We are painfully aware of how lucky we are, says Marthe Hamre Owesen (31) from Selje in Nordfjord. Owesen, roommate Jonas Svensson (29) and daughter Lilly (1.5) survived the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last night. Svensson’s football club evacuated the players and their families to Antalya. So far, more than 5,000 have been confirmed dead after the earthquake, but the WHO fears that as many as 20,000 may have lost their lives. Running for her life with her daughter in her arms It was a little after 04:00 on Monday night when the mother of the toddler woke up suddenly at home in the 15-storey block of flats in the Turkish city of Adana. The family lives in a housing estate with four high-rise blocks in the Turkish city of Adana. Here, they have become well known to people from home and abroad, and are enjoying themselves very well. Photo: Marthe Hamre Owesen The whole built grate. In the next room lay Lilly, one and a half years old, sleeping soundly. She had no idea about the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, which is the strongest earthquake since 1939. – I acted on instinct and ran as hard as I could to get her. If I don’t get out of the building, everything in my head will collapse, I thought. The roommate, the former national team player Jonas Svensson, was not at home. He and the football team Adana Demirspor were in Istanbul and noticed nothing of the drama. In Adana, Owesen ran out into the street with his daughter in his arms. Other frightened children also gathered here and woke up, while the rain and wind whipped them in the face. Someone ran into the parking garage in one block and got a car out so they could get away, says the mother of a toddler. – Terrible to hear that everyone who has died Owesen and the other football families sought refuge in the football club’s training facility, which is only one floor high. Later there was an aftershock that was almost as strong as the first. – I have never experienced anything like this before. It is so terrible to hear about everyone who has died, says Owesen. She has several acquaintances who are missing family and friends in the ruins. Adana is among the hardest hit cities after the earthquake. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news – It is very hard to hear about everyone who has probably died, she says. Adana is among the areas in Turkey that were hardest hit by the earthquake. The epicenter is a couple of hours’ drive away from Adana. The game that Svensson was supposed to play against Ümraniyespor was postponed. Yesterday the little family flew to Antalya. The others on the football team and their families did the same. Before Owesen and Svensson left, they took the chance to collect passports and identity papers from the block of flats they live in. The flight was very tough. Those who had experienced the earthquake sat and cried, Owesen said. – There was such a strong wind, and we had huge “flashbacks” from the earthquake, says the mother of a toddler. She and her family initially wanted to go home to Norway, but now they will probably stay anyway. The former Rosenborg player and national team player Jonas Svensson now plays for the top Turkish football club Adana Demirspor. He and his family have lived in Adana for a year and a half. Photo: private – We need to work through what has happened together with others who have experienced the same thing as us, says the Nordfjordian over the phone from Antalya. Streets full of destroyed houses How long they will stay in Antalya or the road further, they know nothing about. They cannot go home to Adana. Their block of flats is not safe. The same probably applies to many of the other buildings in the city. For the mother of young children, it has been tough to see the neighborhood they have grown so fond of destroyed. The family moved to Turkey when the daughter was six weeks old. – We have gained habits for life in the neighborhood here, and our daughter has gained more playmates, she says. For the family, it is tough to cope with the great disaster that has befallen Turkey. They usually live a good and safe life in Adana, but on Monday things changed. Photo: Marthe Hamre Owesen
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The football player and his family had to be evacuated after the earthquake – news Vestland
