The February 6 earthquake that occurred 3 years ago is an indelible wound. No matter how many years have passed, the pain still does not subside, especially for those who died. But there are still people waiting. They lost their closest relatives in the earthquake, but they couldn't find their bodies. Melike Şahin from NTV with relatives of the missing; He talks about hope, despair and the search for justice.
3 years have passed since the disaster of the century. Thousands of people lost their lives. A piece of the heart of those who lost loved ones still remains on that February 6. But there are also people who cannot even find the bodies of their parents, children or grandchildren. Their wait, which began from the ruins three years ago, continues.
Esila, just 16 months old, was trapped under the rubble of Rönesans Residence, where 269 people were buried, along with her mother, Nagihan Meryem Özgül, on February 6.
The body of the grandmother who was with them was found in the same house, but they were not there.
“RENAISSANCE IS A GREAT SITE”
Esila's soldier father, who searched for them for three years, said: “It is a magical place in Hatay, that is, the Renaissance. We didn't know if we would get a corner of heaven or a corner of the grave so that our children and spouses could be comfortable without us around, so I guess we took a corner of the grave for ourselves.”
Bulut and Nagihan were able to reunite with Meryem Özgül Esila after treatment.
Bulut Özgül was on cross-border duty when the earthquake occurred and she had not seen her daughter for 2.5 months. He is now trying to find his daughter and wife among thousands of funeral photos.
Stating that the majority of the photos belong to people with physical impairments, Bulut said that he had to stay upright psychologically and that he had no other choice.
Bulut said: “After looking at the 15th photo and after the 20th photo, I felt like I saw Nagehan or found Esila when looking at childhood photos. To be honest, this is not something that can be found. In other words, you are looking at photos that really have no physical integrity. So, you don't know where to recognize me. We are trying to figure it out from here.”
Bulut Özgül wants those who caused the death of his daughter and wife, whose bodies he could not even find, to be punished.
Suna Öztürk also lost her daughter and two grandchildren, one 8 months old and the other 3 years old, at Rönesans Residence. Their bodies have not yet been found.
Öztürk said, “In forensic medicine, they told us that there were bodies found in the Rönesans Mansion and we needed to go and identify them. But most of the bones from that debris were burned. I am a mother. I die every day anyway. I'm about to lose my mind anyway. I can't identify them, I can't look at them.” he said.
Mustafa Batuhan Güleç, 25, was the only person who could not be found in the collapsed apartment building in Iskenderun, Hatay. Sema Güleç waited for three years for his son's trace.
“I wonder if miracles will happen?” Mother Güleç, who said they had been waiting for this, said: “I went to the ruins for two years and we had no graves. Now, houses are starting to be built in the ruins again and I won't be able to go there this year. I can't go there and I can't look at it when passing by. Other people live in pain. I lost my son there.” he said.
TWO MAJOR EARTHQUAKES 9 HOURS LONG
On February 6, 2023, there were two separate earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş. First, at 4.17 am, intensity 7.7 was concentrated in Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık, and then at 13.24, intensity 7.6 was concentrated in Elbistan.
There was massive destruction in 11 provinces. According to official information, 53 thousand 537 people died and 107 thousand 213 people were injured.
14 million people were affected by the earthquake over an area of 108 thousand square kilometers. Disaster struck Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa and Elazığ.
