A Turkish man living in Stirling has spoken of his anguish as the search continues for over 70 members of his family missing following the massive earthquake that devastated the country this week.
Ekrem Ozturk said he fears for his family’s safety, after many of them saw all of their possessions and homes destroyed in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The earthquake – measuring a magnitude 7.8 – shook buildings shortly after 4am local time. That was followed by a series of aftershocks that caused further havoc.
More than 17,500 people are believed to have died and a further 67,000 injured.
Ekrem, a painter and decorator, says that the tremor saw his family’s home destroyed and more than 70 members of his extended family remain unaccounted for.
Ekrem lives in Buchlyvie with his wife Stacey and their four sons. They moved to the area in 2009 for the birth of their first son.
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Originally from Adiyaman – a city in southeastern Turkey – Ekrem grew up in Adana.
Speaking to the Observer this week, he said: “The majority of my family live in Kahta Adiyaman. We just visited our village in October with my sons.
“My parents and siblings live in Adana, but we have a village of Ozturks with our cousins and aunts uncles etc. My parents and family in Adana are all safe but have lost their homes. The only building that is safe is my dad’s house but with further risks of more shocks, they are all outside. My family in the village are in tents. They have no water, electricity, food and it’s temperatures of -6 to -10C.”
Family members have enlisted themselves in the frantic mission to rescue survivors.
Ekrem added: “My brother-in-law and my nephew have been digging for days with their bare hands to free loved ones.
“Sadly we have not been able to reach about 70 plus family members that are still stuck in the wreckage and as time passes all we have is hope.”
Ekrem had hoped to set up an online fundraiser so that he could send the proceeds directly to his home community to aid in the relief effort.
However with the funds raised on the fundraising platforms being directly sent to larger charities, he decided against the move and is instead fundraising by himself so that he can transfer funds to the community there.
“We wanted to send it direct to my community,” he added however, he is instead urging people to donate to the Red Cross appeal.
In Stirling, an appeal is underway to collect essential items to be sent to the disaster zone. The My Dessert House in Upper Craigs is collecting items including clothing, food parcels, baby nappies and wipes, female sanitary products, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, camp cooking equipment and flashlights.
The catastrophic earthquake struck at 4.17am local time on Monday, measuring a 7.8 magnitude – making it the most powerful termor to ever hit the country.
It’s the world’s deadliest earthquake in over a decade with more than 13,000 fatalities reported in Turkey and a further 3,500 in Syria.
The earthquake’s epicentre was recorded 21 miles west of Gaziantep, in Gaziantep Province, which is near the border with Syria. An aftershock, measuring a magnitude 6.7 occurred around ten minutes after the initial quake.
In Turkey, at least 13.5 million people have been impacted, as well as 4 million buildings with thousands of people trapped under the rubble for days awaiting rescue.
There were 167 deaths and 3,993 injured in Adana Province. Two apartment buildings, including one 17 stories high, collapsed, killing at least 10 people. In the city of Adana, there were at least 58 deaths and 720 injuries.
At least 3,556 people were killed and 3,749 were injured in Syria.
A full-scale humanitarian effort has been launched in the two countries as they continue to search for survivors.
The British Red Cross has launched an aid appeal. The Red Crescent is on the ground alongside other charities, aiding rescue efforts and providing emergency medical treatment, shelter, food, warm blankets and winter kits.
In Turkey, the Turkish Red Crescent has launched a crisis response operation and mobilised teams in more than 10 regions across the country.
Across the border, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is delivering assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia. They are providing emergency first aid and evacuating people to safety in perilous conditions.
To donate to the appeal, click here.
