Victims complain that the rescue operation was unfair. Many are frustrated with the slow pace.
The weekend following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria saw sadness turn to anger and tension. The rescue operation following the historic catastrophe is perceived by the victims as ineffective and unfair.
Many criticize that the rescue work progressed very slowly. Important time was lost to find people still alive. In the southern Turkish province of Hatay, near the border with Syria, the government is accused of being late in providing aid for political and religious reasons.
In Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey, 66-year-old Abdullah Tas said rescue workers only arrived four days following Monday’s earthquake. “What does that bring to the people under the rubble?” Tas said he slept in a car near the building where his son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren were buried. The AP news agency might not independently verify his statements regarding the arrival of rescue workers.
More than 1,000 people were in a 12-story building in the ancient city of Antakya when the earthquake struck, residents’ relatives said. (archive image)
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Hundreds are still inside. Attempts to free her were frivolous.
“This is cruelty,” said Bediha Kanmaz. “I don’t know what to say.” The bodies of a son and a seven-month-old grandson had been removed from the building. The two victims had embraced. Kanmaz’ daughter-in-law was still missing. The luxury apartment building had fallen on its side.
“We open body bags to see if it’s ours, we check if it’s our children,” Kanmaz said, referring to himself and other family members. Kanmaz blamed the Turkish government for the slow response. The national emergency services have not done enough to save people alive.
Several in Antakya suspected that the rescue operation in the area was not important to the government because there were many members of the Alevi Islamic minority, who are distinct from Sunni and Shia Muslims. Normally, Alevis tend not to vote for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party. However, it has not been confirmed that the region was disadvantaged for religious reasons.
Erdogan rejected allegations on Wednesday that state institutions such as the military had not provided any help. Those are “lies,” he said.
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But he admitted there were problems. According to the authorities, the rescue work in Hatay was initially made more difficult by the fact that the runway at the local airport had been destroyed. In addition, the road conditions were bad.
The anger regarding the extent of the devastation is also evident elsewhere. The Turkish authorities have arrested or issued arrest warrants for dozens of people believed to be involved in the construction of collapsed buildings. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag has announced that anyone responsible will be punished.
A contractor who oversaw the construction of the 12-story, 250-unit building in Antakya was arrested at Istanbul Airport on Friday, Anadolu Agency reported. He therefore wanted to leave Turkey. The man’s legal representative said the public was looking for a scapegoat.
The anger among residents in southern Turkey was also directed once morest Syrian civil war refugees. Some accused the Syrians, who lived in the Turkish region following fleeing their country, of straining the welfare system. “There are many poor people in Hatay, but they don’t offer us social assistance, they give it to the Syrians,” Kanmaz said. “They give the Syrians so much.”
Kanmaz spoke of both sadness and anger. “I’m pissed off. Life is over, »said Kanmaz. «We live for our children; what means most to us are our children. We exist when they exist. Now we’re over. Everything you see here is over.” (DPO)
