A Sunderland dad has lost family members in deadly earthquakes that have hit Turkey, with many others still missing.
Kasif Demir was fast asleep in the early hours of Monday morning when he awoke to a WhatsApp message from his his sister, Vehibe, saying she was "fine". It wasn't until later that morning that Kasif, who lives in High Barnes with his wife Zoe and their two children, Kaya, nine, and Connor, 16, found out there had been a catastrophic earthquake in his home village near Antakya, Hatay Province's capital.
The message from his sister was the last time he heard from her, and Kasif soon found out that other members of his family were still trapped beneath rubble or missing. Tragically, his brother-in-law and his five-year-old daughter were killed in the earthquake, with Kasif's nephew and his wife also sadly dying. Other members of his family were more fortunate, and are continuing to cope with the aftermath in the town of Bakras.
Read more: County Durham restaurant owner's friend rescued from the aftermath of earthquake in Turkey
Thousands of people have been killed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria this week, with thousands more still missing. Many friends and family of Kasif have been searching through the debris of devastation in the hope of finding survivors.
But Kasif, who has lived in Sunderland for 26 years and works in the transport sector, felt helpless being so far away. The 50-year-old even seriously considered driving to Turkey in order to help with the efforts.
Instead, in an effort to play his part, Kasif, who is known to friends as Kenny, has started a GoFundMe page in order to raise money for those affected and aims to raise £5,000. More than £600 has been raised so far.
Speaking to The Chronicle, Kasif said: "On Monday at around 2am I received a WhatsApp from my sister, out of the blue, saying 'we are fine'. I didn't know what that meant, I was baffled. I got up and tried to contact her but couldn't reach her.
"By 8am, my brother phoned me and asked if I'd seen the disaster in Turkey, I said 'what disaster?' I came back from the school run and finally managed to get through to some family where I found out what was going on. That's when I found out a lot of relatives were still under the rubble and some had survived."
Kasif was told by his family in Turkey that the nearby hospital in Antakya had also collapsed due to the earthquake, so many had been taken to a hospital in Adana. The car parts business that Kasif's brother in law, Yunus, owned was also completely destroyed in the disaster - threatening the livelihood of the wider family who relied on it. Some of Kasif's sisters are now taking care of the many children that were caught up in the earthquake, too.
Kasif continued: "I come from a very large family, with 13 sisters and six brothers in that region. I contacted my older nephew but it was very difficult due to power cuts in the area. The internet connection has been severely reduced as well and there's no access to social media. We're still yet to hear from other members of my family."
Another earthquake with the magnitude of 7.5 hit Turkey’s south just hours after the first, with a third following later in the week. And despite brutal winter conditions, Kasif's family and friends have been digging through the rubble and debris with their bare hands in an attempt to rescue any survivors. Many attempts have been hampered by a number of aftershocks and tremors in the region.
"It's a desperate situation", Kasif added, "they're struggling for food and water and are just trying to survive. People under the rubble are screaming."
Desperate to help, Kasif was even prepared to drive more than 36 hours straight to get to Turkey, but resorted to staying home only at the last minute after being told by family that most of the roads leading into Antakya are either blocked by rubble or closed.
He said: "I was told there would be no use in me driving there, so I've been thinking non-stop about what I could do. In the end, my wife and I came up with the idea of fundraising - people are in need of water, food and necessities, and the best thing to do to help would be to raise funds and support them that way."
As the crisis in Turkey and Syria deepens, those joining the relief efforts include 12 crew members from the London Fire Brigade and 76 search and rescue specialists being sent by the UK Government with state-of-the-art equipment and four specially trained dogs.
Donations to Kasif's GoFundMe page can be made here
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