Families say over 100 missing a year after Turkey quake
Feb 02, 2024
Istanbul [Turkey], February 2: Almost a year after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey that killed tens of thousands, families and relatives say they are still desperately searching for more than 100 people still missing.
At least 145 people, among them 38 children, are believed to be missing, Sema Güleç, secretary general of local association of families DEMAK, told reporters in the capital Ankara on Thursday.
Families have so far been unable to locate the missing, though they had waited by the debris until it was cleared, then checked with the authorities and searched hospitals, said Güleç. The association called for a parliamentary commission of inquiry and wants certain graves to be opened to take DNA samples.
Turkey's Interior Ministry has not yet provided any data on the number of missing people after the earthquakes. Family Minister Mahinur Özdemir Goktaş claimed in January that no child was missing.
On February 6, 2023, two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.6 rocked south-eastern Turkey, killing more than 53,000 people, according to official data.
Cuma Aburşu is still searching for his two nieces whom he says are still missing after their apartment in Kahramanmaraş province collapsed.
The authorities recently informed him that no matching DNA samples had yet been found, Aburşu told DPA over the phone, adding he continues to believes that his nieces are alive. Fatih Karaca, who lost his wife in the earthquake in Gaziantep province, has since been looking for his missing 14-year-old daughter İrem.
Three days after the quake, friends saw İrem playing with her classmates, Karaca tells DPA. She has since disappeared. "I have never given up hope that she is alive and will continue to search for her, no matter how long," Karaca adds.
A massive rebuilding effort is underway in areas devastated by the quake. The Turkish government is rushing to build more than 300,000 homes for displaced families, most of whom are living in temporary homes made from shipping containers.
Source: Qatar Tribune
