Earthquakes in Turkey: in Antioch, resignation takes precedence over anger

A girl stands next to destroyed buildings in Antioch, Wednesday, February 8, 2023. AP - Khalil Hamra

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In Turkey and Syria, the quake killed at least 12,000 people, according to the latest human toll.

Two days after the earthquakes, the search for survivors continued on Wednesday 8 February.

Antioch remains one of the cities hardest hit by the earthquake.

Our special correspondent on site for two days takes stock.

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With our special correspondent in Antioch, 

What marked us this Wednesday?

The resignation of the inhabitants.

The day before, we saw them running everywhere looking for help, or a solution to make themselves useful.

But this day, we felt exhausted, even annihilated.

The looks were defeated.

Survivors continue to be pulled out of the rubble, like this mother and her daughter who were found alive after 50 hours under their building.

Alas, this is rather the exception now;

compared to Tuesday, most residents currently found are dead.

We spent part of the day in one of the city's mortuaries, which is overflowing with bodies.

Those who arrive continuously are now placed outside, on the ground in black bags, or wrapped in blankets.

Families, all day Tuesday in search of their loved ones, while officers of the Diyanet, the Turkish national religious agency, chained the prayers.

This Wednesday evening, the most striking thing was the silence that currently reigns in certain neighborhoods.

The inhabitants are no longer looking for the bodies, they are above all looking to leave, to leave this devastated ghost town, still without water, electricity and network.

On Tuesday, the roads inside the city were blocked by traffic filled with cars coming to drop off food and volunteers;

now the roads to get out are full.

A student who was hitchhiking explained to us that his friends were already on their way to cities all over the country, such as Adana, Ankara, and even Istanbul or Izmir.

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