Deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: And the living are waiting…

By Athena Papakosta

The unspeakable tragedy of the deadly, twin earthquakes on the borders of Turkey and Syria with the thousands of dead and the countless trapped in the ruins has no end.

With each passing hour the magnitude of the disaster unfolds more and more.

Searches to find survivors in the ruins are frantic, however, now the hopes of finding survivors are dwindling.

The drama between Turks and Syrians breaks hearts.

Voices through the wreckage are the only breath of life in the affected areas.

Rescuers’ efforts remain the only hope to turn this long-lasting nightmare into a momentary miracle.

Those who were saved pray for those who still endure buried in the cement and for all those who fell asleep and never woke up.

“Imagine your son or your brother or someone in your family being in the wreckage and not being able to help them. Not being able to uncage them. That feeling alone is enough“.

Abdelkhalid lived in Kahramanmaras. A few hours ago he saw his father emerge alive from the wreckage. A few hours later he learned that he breathed his last in the hospital.

Now, he himself is waiting for his brother and his family to give a sign of life. He remembers that ten years ago he escaped from the Syrian civil war for a better life, or rather for a life that in his country was disappearing day by day.

“I have no hope for life anymore. Syria has fallen apart and we came here. God help those still alive to be freed. God help them and those who help“, he says with as much composure as he still manages to maintain and adds “We ask God and everyone who can help to do it”.

70% of the city of Kahramanmaras has now been leveled. A few meters away, next to another pile of iron, cement and belongings reminiscent of lives lost in a minute, Mardaghani bends. His brother still remains buried in the rubble.

“I don’t know how much longer I can last. I’m slowly giving up all hope. I’m tired. I want to see my brother, his wife and their children. I want to know he is ok to put my mind at ease“.

The living are waiting. In and out of the rubble.

In Adana, a volunteer rescuer describes how every life fights its own battle. While digging through the rubble of an apartment building he discovered a cage.

The cage was broken but inside it remained a blue-yellow bird. “I was so happy, I almost cried,” he says in amazement as the bird endured 60 hours in the wreckage raising hope that if this creature could make it through so many hours in captivity then so can humans.

The cold remains bitter. Supplies are running out. With the help of fire, those who can and breathe the fresh air try to warm themselves.

At the same time, the situation is not easier in Syria either. Those who have succeeded know that they have been lucky. It was lucky, they say, that their own house did not fall. It just happened, they say, that they managed to get thrown out.

Mohammad Kazmoz is a journalist. He lived in Idlib and described to the British newspaper “The Guardian” what he and his family experienced.

“For the past two days, I have lived what seems like an unimaginable nightmare (…) I live with my wife and my parents. We woke up from the nightmare. (…) There was a moment when I believed that the building would collapse on us. Our every step was taken in terror. The building next door had fallen by the time we woke up. I thought we were next. However, we went out. Desperation drove us to the road“, he says, shedding light on the first dramatic hours of the tragedy that also struck those early Monday mornings.

“The first thing I felt when I left the house was how cold it was. We got in the car and drove off to find a place without houses and buildings, a place where we would be safe again.”

Mohammad left his family in a camp near a farm, 90 minutes away from the city where they lived. He himself made his way back to the affected areas.

“I knew I had to record what was happening“, says. “I went from house to house, recording the fear and desperation people felt, recording their stories and pain. I also wanted to record the rescue efforts and the bravery with which people tried to search through the ruins (…) The earth was shaking. In the evening we visited a friend to collect some supplies, including blankets and food. We slept in the car. We were exhausted, desperate, terrified. We have nothing left. At least we have each other“.

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