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People in Antakya, Turkey, mourn with candles on the first anniversary of the earthquake

Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP

In Turkey, the victims of the disaster were remembered a year after the devastating earthquake that left tens of thousands dead. At 4:17 a.m., families and friends gathered in the city center of Antakya, the former Antioch, which was 90 percent destroyed. At this time, the south of Turkey was shaken by a violent earthquake on February 6, 2023.

Relatives built small altars on the ground and placed candles and roses where the houses where family members were buried stood.

"I don't have the feeling that it was a year ago, for me it was yesterday," said 44-year-old Eda Boz, who traveled from the capital Ankara to the memorial event. »My childhood friends, school friends, lived in this building. We all knew each other," she said with tears in her eyes in front of a residential building that, like thousands of others, collapsed within seconds.

Politicians were met with anger

There were brief tensions between the police and the relatives. The officials wanted to deny the families access to the site, but ultimately did not stop them.

Later, Health Minister Farhettin Koca, who wanted to give a speech, was booed. The population of Hatay province, where Antakya is located, has complained of a lack of support in the face of the disaster. The social democratic mayor of Antakya, Lütfü Savas, was also angered: he was shouted at and asked to resign.

The victims of the disaster were also remembered elsewhere. A similar memorial event took place in Kahramanmaraş, further north, around 50 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake. “65 seconds that seemed like an eternity,” explained the Turkish aid organization Afad on the online service X, formerly Twitter.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was expected in Kahramanmaraş later on Tuesday, wrote on social media: "Such disasters and such suffering are turning points that test the strength of unity, solidarity and brotherhood of nations."

"We will continue our work until our cities are rebuilt and the last citizen whose house was destroyed or rendered unusable is brought to a safe home," wrote Erdoğan. The Turkish government has faced repeated discontent since the disaster.

"A year has passed and the city is still in ruins," said 19-year-old student Esat Gül from Antakya, who does not trust Erdoğan's statement. »I no longer have much hope for the future.«

Earthquake with the most deaths since 1970

According to her ministry, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced that her thoughts were with the victims and their survivors. Behind each of them there were fates, sadness and hardship that still have an impact today. “My deep thanks go to everyone who risked their lives to help.”

The federal government provided the ministry with around 240 million euro aid earthquake funds. The THW also delivered more than 650 tons of relief supplies, including tents, heaters and blankets.

According to new figures published in the run-up to the anniversary, the earthquake killed 53,537 people in Turkey and destroyed almost 39,000 houses. The quake also shook neighboring Syria, where almost 6,000 people died. It was the deadliest earthquake in the world since 1970, when a tremor in Peru killed 67,000 people.

aka/AFP