The town of Famagusta, in northern Cyprus, buried the remains of its 24 children who died in Turkey, as a result of an earthquake last week, following they had traveled to participate in a school volleyball tournament.
These youngsters, between the ages of 11 and 14, returned shrouded in small coffins to bury the burial yesterday, Sunday, in their town, following spending days under the rubble of the hotel in which they stayed.
The mourners, along with the children, buried 10 other teachers and parents who accompanied the children to the city of Adiyaman, in southeastern Turkey.
While the only surviving teacher, along with 3 parents, recounted the moments of terror and panic that she experienced. She said, in a trembling voice, that she expected to see all the team members outside following the rescue teams pulled her from under the rubble of the hotel.
But she added, with tears filling her eyes, “I did not find the children, nor my daughter, even the one who was killed there, and she was not recovered until 6 days following the disaster.”
She also added, in an interview with channel4, that she did not understand what happened, as the sand suddenly filled her face.
The team affiliated with the Turkish Cypriot-controlled College of Knowledge in Famagusta had traveled to Adiyaman to participate in a match with their coaches and parents.
However, the earthquake occurred the next day, devastating entire regions in southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing more than 37 people so far.