In the center of the southern Turkish city of Osmaniye, a couple waits by the rubble of the three-storey building where they used to live, hoping to find their savings among the rubble when it is cleared.
Rehan Vural, 48, and her husband, Matin, 59, survived the devastating earthquake that occurred on the sixth of last February and claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and Syria, but like other survivors, they suffer after losing almost everything in the devastating earthquake. .
Residents of the earthquake-hit areas still go there and wait by the rubble (Reuters)
precious metal
The family and other families kept their savings - which they had collected for decades - at home in the form of gold coins or jewelry, which is a traditional method used by citizens in Turkey and the Middle East, as they believe that the acquisition of precious metal at home is better than depositing money in banks.
"Everything we have is under the rubble," said Rehan Vural, pointing to the pile of rubble where her house was located in a quiet street. "We would have bought a house with the gold that is now under the rubble."
Rayhan and her husband come to the rubble site every day, to see if they can find their valuables.
"I know where the gold is, so when the drilling rigs come I'll ask them to stop for a moment to see if I can get it out," she said.
Authorities are rushing to clear the rubble to focus on rebuilding for the millions who have lost their homes.
Hatiji Yigit stayed for 6 days under the rubble of an apartment building in Antakya before relief workers rescued her (Reuters)
Waiting and hoping
But residents of the quake-hit areas still go there and wait by the rubble, digging through it, hoping to find their valuables.
Hatice Yigit, 57, remained for 6 days under the rubble of an apartment building in Antakya before aid workers rescued her, and after she recovered, she returned to the site in the hope of recovering about 50,000 Turkish liras ($2,600) - mostly in the form of gold - that she had saved for her daughter's marriage. .
"Everything is there, even my dreams are there," she said, adding that she would have to put off her daughter's wedding for a few years if she did not find her savings.