Many buildings have been reduced to ruins in his city, Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, which is home to many of the millions of people who have fled war and poverty in neighboring Syria.
Tulin Akkaya was trying to collect her thoughts after being rudely awakened by Turkey’s worst earthquake in nearly a century, when a second jolt sent her running out into the street. “I’m really scared. I felt (the aftershock) very strongly because I live on the top floor,” said the 30-year-old housewife. “We ran out in a panic. It was almost the same as the earthquake in the early morning. Now I can’t go back to my apartment, I don’t know what will happen next,” she added.
Many buildings have been reduced to ruins in his city, Diyarbakir, in the southeast of the country, which is home to many of the millions of people who have fled war and poverty in neighboring Syria. The same scenes of devastation spread through the main border cities of both countries after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that occurred before dawn.
The aftershock was magnitude 7.5, something scientists say only occurs about 20 times a year worldwide. Authorities put the death toll at more than 2,200. The quake struck a remote and underdeveloped area. The challenge facing rescue teams in both Turkey and Syria is immense.
Authorities counted more than 50 aftershocks in the first 10 hours after the initial tremor and warned that they would continue for many more days. Several buildings collapsed both in Diyarbakir and nearby cities.
The second big shock came just as the survivors were beginning to return to their homes to collect belongings that might help them through the cold night ahead. Most of the region was left without gas or electricity. “It’s a seismic zone, so I’m used to shaking,” said reporter Melisa Salman, who lives in Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the quake, some 60 km from the Syrian border. “But it’s the first time we’ve experienced something like this,” she told AFP, this 23-year-old girl. “We thought it was the apocalypse.” “We have been out since half past four in the morning. It is raining, but no one dares to return to their homes for fear of new aftershocks,” she added.
Although the ground does not stop shaking, the rescue teams, often supported by the local population, continue to search for victims. A six-year-old girl was found alive after hours of work by lifeguards helped by her father. Three other children could be rescued from the rubble of this completely dilapidated building in Kahramanmaras.
“I was able to save three people. But I also found two bodies. I can’t go home. I stay in case they need me,” said Halis Aktemur. This 35-year-old man came to offer his help to rescue teams working in the ruins of a building in Diyarbakir. Some establishments, such as gyms or reception rooms, welcome people who cannot return to their homes.
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