Turkey earthquake | Turkish nationals living in India worry: ‘Food running out, calls not connecting’

“I fear that they are trapped under the rubble as no one can contact them. Their houses have collapsed and I fear more of my family members might become casualties due to this disaster. Some of my relatives who have survived the earthquake cried through the entire call. All their life’s savings and the houses they had built with so much hard work have been turned to rubble,” she told The Indian Express.

Yagiz, who is currently settled in Mumbai, added that her relatives have been sitting in their cars and are scared for their lives as they fear another earthquake might strike the area. “My relatives are telling me that they are out of food supplies and are struggling for basic amenities. I hope rescue teams take good care of them. Most of the calls from here are also not connecting as the mobile connection has been hit there,” she lamented.

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023. (REUTERS/Sertac Kayar)

Unsal Alaturka, 35, who runs Alaturka Doner Kebab and Falafel at the Select CityWalk mall in Delhi’s Saket, said his cousin brother and other family members live in Gaziantep, which also bore severe brunt of the earthquake. “I have been in touch with my cousin and his family members through calls and social media. They are scared for their lives and are telling me that buildings have been collapsing near where they stay. I cannot go back to Turkey now even if I want to; my family needs me at this time,” Alaturka said.

He added that his relatives have shifted to their friends’ houses in the outskirts of the city. “Most of their houses have collapsed and the roads have been destroyed. Everybody has vacated their houses; the financial losses will be impossible to recover from,” he said.

Rescuers carry out a person from a collapsed building after an earthquake in Adana, Turkey (Reuters)

Remembering the time she spent with her close friends in Turkey, most of whom live in Gaziantep, Fidan Duman, 37, a civil engineer who lives with her two children and husband in the capital, said that she has not been able to sleep or think of anything else ever since the deadly earthquake struck her home country. “I have been glued to the TV and constantly following news updates as I feel guilty for not being there with my friends in this hour of need. As the casualties keep increasing, I fear it could be one of my friends, and I quickly call them to check if they are fine,” Fidan said.