Manon Chapelain 11:13 am, March 21, 2023

A month and a half after the earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people, Turks are facing the ruins of their former lives before the disaster. In Antakya, some return before the buildings are completely razed to recover some souvenirs.

Turkey is trying to recover from the double earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people a month and a half ago. President Erdogan continues to face criticism for his mishandling of the disaster. Before the ruined buildings are razed, families try to recover some souvenirs. In an emergency, Mustafa arrived at six o'clock in the morning with a truck and some friends. The day before, a neighbor warns him by SMS: his building will be destroyed in the afternoon.

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A move in a hurry

"On the day of the earthquake, we only took out our pajamas. We came back and took out some things. It was very dangerous to go inside," he told Europe 1. A few streets away, two friends are crying. They watch the neighborhood in which they grew up, disappear under the excavators. "Our savings, our dreams, our hopes, everything is gone, it's all over," they say.

Emilil couldn't save anything. He fears above all that he will never find an apartment similar to his. He had put all his savings there: "The government says it will deliver us a new home but 25 or 30 kilometers from here. Our house was right in the city center. It was three times more valuable than they promise us today."

According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, half of the 650,000 homes to be rebuilt will be standing within a year. Faced with the task ahead in Antakya, residents consider this delay unlikely.