‘Our pain is immense’, says Turkish earthquake survivor

The earthquakes have left residents of Iskenderun with no water or functioning sewage system, with electrical energy accessible in solely half the town.

Iskenderun, Turkey – Serizan Agbas, 61, has been sleeping in a chair within the backyard of a faculty for the reason that earthquakes devastated the southeastern area of Turkey on February 6.

Agbas’s condominium block remains to be standing however was deemed not protected to remain in. So she stays out within the open and shares hearth and meals with rescuers.

“Our ache is immense. I’ve solely 15 lira [$0.80] in my pocket, I don’t also have a cigarette,” she instructed Al Jazeera. “I’ve nothing to lose now, so I’m not afraid.”

For 30 years, Agbas ran a textile store, however the earthquake destroyed the constructing it was in and he or she had no insurance coverage. Not understanding what else to do, she involves the constructing daily anyway, typically she meets Ozhan Komurcu there, who used to run a carpet store within the constructing too.

Fourteen folks have been saved from the collapsed constructing, they instructed Al Jazeera. However they consider greater than 100 folks died in it. There is no such thing as a water or functioning sewage system, they added, and solely half the town has electrical energy and persons are beginning to fear about ailments spreading.

The huge earthquakes on Monday – with magnitudes of seven.8 and seven.6 – have to this point killed greater than 24,000 folks and wounded greater than 80,000 others in southeastern Turkey. Greater than 6,400 buildings have collapsed, in line with authorities.

Agbas thinks a lot of the buildings that both collapsed or grew to become uninhabitable following the quakes have been constructed within the final 5 years and says anger is rising over the development.

“The builders are cheats – they make one thing shiny and opulent wanting, but it surely’s actually low cost and weak,” she stated.

On Tuesday, the Turkish authorities declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces alongside its southern border with Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan final week acknowledged “shortcomings” within the state’s response to the quakes, including that extreme climate had made rescue efforts tougher and that the efforts have been now totally on observe.

Considerations over looting have additionally been raised within the stricken areas, with state media saying that 48 looters had been arrested throughout eight provinces.

Iskenderun noticed numerous looting within the first two days, Agbas and Komurcu stated, however now the navy has been deployed on the streets in an effort to make it safer and forestall looting.