Antakya/Iskenderun: Following last week’s earthquake in Turkey, Erdem Avsaroglu’s sister, husband and two children are among the ruins of a collapsed apartment block in Antakya (Old Antokhya). Yet there was life left in them. And for them to talk to the rescue workers.
But following a day and a half everything was washed away. The fire started on Tuesday night from the generator inside the building debris. As the fire raged for hours, Avsaroglu, a professional firefighter, might only watch.
Even following the fire, their voices stopped. For more than five days, heat was emanating from the remains of the building. It is now seven days. Those who went to the beach were tired. Now there is only a prayer that the dead bodies will not be dismembered.
Around 80 people living in Block 21 were rescued before the fire. 12 dead bodies were recovered. The remaining 47 people are missing. The condition of the recovered bodies is even more painful. Avsaroglu said that some families got only bones because of the fire.
The remaining question is how the 10-year-old building collapsed. Many old buildings in the surrounding area are standing intact. Meanwhile, the complaint that the government is not getting enough support in the rescue mission has given way to widespread anger. If there were adequate rescue systems, 40-50 more people might have been saved, the words of those in the mission.
The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes so far has risen to nearly 30,000 in Turkey and over 4,500 in Syria.
