MARAŞ - Kutsiye Çakmak, who lost her mother and sister in the Nergele region of Elbistan, said: "I said 'resist a little longer' to them who are under rubble, but the machine did not come to save them."

 

Rural neighborhoods of the city's Elbistan and Nurhak districts were also left under rubble of the earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude that occurred on February 6 in the Pazarcık district of Maraş and affected 10 provinces. Neighborhoods where more than 20 people have lost their lives so far have been completely emptied. Neighborhoods that experienced an earthquake and whose roads were closed due to snowfall could only be reached 4 days after the earthquake. Neighborhoods where no construction equipment or search and rescue team went, were left under the rubble. People trapped under collapsed houses waited for days to be rescued. While many of the people who were under the rubble were rescued by the locals, many of them froze to death at the end of the third day.

 

PEOPLE DIED BY FREEZING AND BURNING

 

Çakmak said: "The roads of Mîreli Neighborhood, where 2 people were burned to death and 2 people froze to death under the rubble, were opened exactly 4 days after the earthquake. The bodies began to be buried with the construction machinery opening the roads. While digging a bucket of graves sent to the neighborhood by the municipality, citizens buried their bodies with their own means. All the houses in the neighborhood were heavily damaged and most of them were destroyed. Three people who were under the rubble during the earthquake were burned to death. Despite all their riots, the roads were not opened and the construction equipment and rescue teams did not come to the area."