Pazarcık, Turkey — Suat Yenipınar was in his fifth-floor condominium along with his grandson, when final week’s earthquake woke him up.
“When the earthquake occurred I grabbed him and tried to flee the constructing, however we hit the partitions and fell over, so I simply lined him with my physique to guard him if the constructing collapsed,” the 60-year-old native journalist recalled. ” After the quake was over, we acquired out immediately – items have been falling off the constructing.”
Yenipınar resides in a tent now subsequent to a Pink Crescent cellular kitchen, on this city, near epicentre of the earthquake.
Greater than 450 folks have died in Pazarcık, which had about 28,000 folks residing there on the time. It has an official inhabitants of about 68,000 folks however many residents work overseas, particularly in Germany. Now there are solely between 4,000 and 5,000 folks left, based on estimates of locals.
The earthquake has additionally killed one thing else: The newspaper that Yenipınar introduced out from the constructing, which is now badly broken.
Titled Aksu Haber Gazetesi, the newspaper’s final version ran on February 3, the Friday earlier than the earthquakes which have up to now killed greater than 41,000 folks in Turkey and northwest Syria. It now stands as a reminder of a time frozen in eternity – the previous couple of days earlier than the town was decimated.
“Life in Pazarcık is over after the earthquake, all of the buildings must be demolished,” he mentioned.
He mentioned he stays appreciative of the federal government. “Thank God to the federal government, they gave us greater than we deserve,” Yenipınar mentioned.
On the identical time, he criticised the authorities. He mentioned that he’ll transfer to a different metropolis when he can as a result of he has no religion that Pazarcık will likely be rebuilt.
“I don’t belief politicians, at this time they are saying one factor, tomorrow one other,” Yenipınar mentioned. “I don’t see it being totally rebuilt. The cash collected yesterday — let’s wait and see how a lot of that’s wasted.” TV fundraising pulled in additional than $6bn on Wednesday.
His condominium partitions are cracked, and particles is piled on what was his furnishings.
Simply throughout the road from his condominium block is rubble — all that is still of a constructing that collapsed, killing two of Yenipınar’s mates.
‘Shaken like yoghurt’
But amid the devastation, residence and camaraderie survive.
Ahmet Efe’s home was broken badly and he’s staying in a container home donated by an Istanbul-based well being firm. The 36-year-old helps different survivors by delivering photo voltaic panel chargers.
“A man from Kayseri [a central Turkish city] designed it and a number of other firms are working collectively to supply them,” he mentioned of the chargers. “The lightbulb provides mild all night time, and you may cost a cellphone by connecting the USB port to a 12-volt plug.”
Efe mentioned that the earthquake was so robust he couldn’t even shout something when it occurred.
“You recognize ayran [a yoghurt drink]. Earlier than ingesting it it’s a must to shake it. It was like that – being shaken up and down, facet to facet – for 2 minutes,” he mentioned. “At the moment, I couldn’t do something, I wished to shout to my spouse however couldn’t.”
Not like Yenipınar, Efe wasn’t keen to surrender on Pazarcık.
“Proper now now we have no clue what’s going to occur,” he mentioned. “However we are able to simply rebuild – there may be cash right here, we are able to do it.”
Reporting by Patrick Keddie in Pazarcık, Turkey