Countless people in Turkey are currently fearing for the lives of friends and relatives. In many places, they also complain about the lack of support from the authorities. Gradually the extent of the catastrophe becomes clear.
There are stories of rescues after several hours under the rubble after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. One of them is that of Serap Ela. The five-year-old, dressed in pajamas, is pulled out of the rubble by helpers in Hatay, videos from the scene show. Rescuers also found a four-month-old girl in the southern Turkish city between collapsed house walls and wrapped her in a blanket. Footage shows helpers calming the baby.
But for others, any help comes too late, for thousands. A number of people in the disaster region have been waiting for help for days. Many know exactly where their relatives, friends or neighbors are buried in the rubble and can sometimes even call them or hear their voices.
Great willingness to help in the country
The hashtag #SESVAR is shared millions of times on Twitter (meaning: “We hear voices”). People share locations and beg for help. But none of this helps without the necessary technical equipment.
In the coastal town of İskenderun, helpers keep shouting into a pile of rubble that was once an apartment building: “Can anyone hear my voice?” A few meters away, volunteers have formed a chain. Here, more than 60 hours after the first strong tremor, they still heard survivors. “It didn’t shake, it made a pompom,” says Müzeyyen Türker, imitating a jackhammer. She does not speak of the clean-up work but of the earthquake.
Soldiers handed out blankets at a tented camp in the center of the city. At least 20 people stretch their hands, the crowd is getting impatient: “I have children,” calls a woman.
Meanwhile, on the roads leading to the devastated areas, helpers can be seen at the rest stops, often with fully loaded cars. One says he made his way from Ankara. He packs diapers into his van, which is already packed to the brim. There are a number of trucks on the streets, often with signs that read: “In solidarity with the earthquake areas”.
Criticism of Turkish President Erdogan
Meanwhile, those affected are complaining about the lack of or only sluggish help when rescuing those who have been buried. The Turkish opposition leader personally accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of failure. “If anyone is primarily responsible for this course of events, it’s Erdogan,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the largest opposition party, the CHP. Erdogan failed to prepare the country for such an earthquake during his 20-year reign.
During a visit to the earthquake areas, Erdogan admitted that there were problems with the rescue on the first day. But from the second day, the situation was manageable, he said in Kahramanmaras.
In many places, botched construction is discussed as one of the reasons for the many collapsed houses. The shares of cement companies in particular rose on the Turkish stock exchange, thousands of houses have to be replaced.
The damage to the infrastructure is immense
Jesco Weickert from Welthungerhilfe experienced the earthquake in Gaziantep, Turkey. He and his team still have the experience in their bones. Even if Gaziantep is not as badly affected as other regions, everyday life is currently unthinkable. Many of the colleagues were shocked, slept in cars and no longer dared to go into their houses. The electricity keeps going out and there is no gas.
“The damage to the infrastructure is massive here too. I don’t know how long it will take for everything to be repaired,” says Weickert. The people were exhausted, but all wanted to help where it was necessary.
The government described the earthquake as one of the worst disasters in recent decades and announced that it would mobilize all available funds. At least 8,500 people have been killed in Turkey alone, and there are officially more than 49,000 injured in the country. Hundreds if not thousands more are suspected to be under the rubble. 2662 deaths were reported from Syria.
The two Germans Bernd Horch and Peter Laake also witnessed the earthquake in Gaziantep. “It took a while before I understood what was happening,” says Horch. “You think you’re dreaming. That was bad. And at some point you realize: That was a really big thing.”
The two colleagues survived the earthquake unscathed and have now taken refuge in a hotel in the city of Kayseri, around 250 kilometers from the epicenter of the first tremor.
They were in Gaziantep on business and were staying in a hotel during the earthquake. Laake should have stayed in Turkey until mid-March. That has now been cancelled. Both are now waiting for their journey home to Germany.