It begins to get dark as the sun begins to set on the horizon as the leader of the group stands up. “Stop, stop! Everybody stop! Get out! Get out!” he shouts as his men run as fast as they can, jumping through the rubble. A few minutes ago, between ruinsA phone appeared. After a while, a body. But now it’s time to run: behind collapsed building, the same as the eight-story one a few days ago, another one the same and still trembling standing. The team leader shouted, “Everybody out! He’s falling!” he shouts. They’re all going away. The building does not fall. Missions continue.
Since the early hours of Monday morning, southeast Turkey and northwest Syria have been disaster situation No end in sight. until date 20,000 people died in both countries and 70,000 people injured. But these figures are temporary and of course fictitious: thousands are still under the rubbleThe numbers will increase in the coming days.
“I am an engineer and I Izmir. A few years ago I was a volunteer too. earthquake What happened elazig, but this is not comparable. This is another world. The most affected areas no longer exist. We know many places where it is. aid and rescue teams they have not arrived yet many people are stranded I still can’t believe everything that happened,” she explains. Turkish rescue teams
North and South
on both sides of the border, emergency You live differently The coin is the same, the opposites are exactly the same: because in both places people were trapped under the rubble of their homes while they slept in the middle of the night. But in the north, in Turkey, international and local aid arrived and it comes. Not everyone, of course, but it’s coming. However, the situation in Syria is much worse. “Northwest Syria is already going through a process. grave humanitarian situation Long years of wars, economic situation, Pandemic and recently a cholera epidemic“, explains Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in a statement.
“This earthquake makes the situation worse, in a context medicine and health system It is fragile by nature. Our teams are witnesses. lack of fuel, electricity, water and proper sanitation. People affected by the earthquake have great difficulties in accessing mental health support, including MSF staff.”
Despite the chaos and collapse of the affected areas in Turkey, these services reach a significant part of the world. 13 million affected, 13 million living in the 10 affected areas. Almost all of them were either homeless or no longer able to access it overnight.
Syrians on both sides
Southeast of Turkey, the region most affected by Monday’s earthquake, is also the region with the most earthquakes. Syrian refugees They live in Anatolian country. People, many of whom fled their country almost a decade ago, were once again forced to flee their homes. “We were sleeping and when everything started, we ran outside. My sister took her 4-month-old baby in her arms and we ran away. And just as we were going out, the house collapsed. real miraclesays Ragal, a young Syrian woman. Sam Living in a Turkish town for 10 years ottomanone of the most affected by the earthquake.
Now, Ragal and his family live in a house. displaced persons camp just outside the city. One or two families live in each tent. There are four families in it, a total of 19 people. They are all Syrian. “We are a large number of Syrians and Turks in the countryside, but Turks ask us, ‘You are Syrian, what are you doing here?’ How could this be? They tell us the earthquake was our fault. But we didn’t do it, God did it. They blame us for everything,” Ragal complains in a low voice so they can’t hear him.
Turkey has been going through a painful period for the last year. inflationary economic crisis almost completely destroyed middle class from the country. Since then, many Turks have turned their backs on the Syrian refugees they blamed for the situation: Turkey is the country hosting the largest number of refugees in the world, at 3.6 million.
“Since we came, they say that everything is fucked up, there is an earthquake, everything is more expensive… When we go to the queue for food in the field, they say ‘come’ to us. come on out, why did you come here, why did you come to our country?’ Why did we come, because there is war, so we came here, we are happy, Turkey accepted us, we love this city, thank you all racism has increased a lot,” says Ragal.
A woman screams while talking behind her. His voice is cut off; screams: “How can all this be? You give it to them. shopping for syrians, and I’m not Turkish. This is embarrassing! Your people are homeless!” she counsels. Ragal turns to look at her and tries to keep her from looking behind her. Then the young Syrian girl returns to her tent: She better not be seen outside.