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☆ Christians in Turkey Pray for Return to the Ruins of Ancient Antioch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Burcu Karakas and Ceyda CaglayanANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - The Antioch Greek Orthodox Church brought Christians together in Turkey's Antakya for centuries until last year, when an earthquake killed dozens of them and sent hundreds more fleeing. Though it now lies in ruins, many pray it will again bring them back. The deadliest disaster in modern Turkey's history, the quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria, and left millions homeless. 'PLEASE COME BACK'Some 370 Greek Orthodox families were living in Antakya before the 2023 quake but only 20 remain today, he told Reuters. David Cagan, 53, another member of the local Greek Orthodox community, said it was essential to rebuild the churches.

Persons: Burcu Karakas, Caglayan, Hurigil, Larina Balikcioglu, Antakya, David Cagan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones Organizations: Church, Orthodox Church Foundation of Antakya, Christian, Hatay Archeology Museum, Antioch Greek, Reuters Locations: Caglayan ANTAKYA, Turkey, Antioch, Antakya, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Ottoman Turks, Hatay, Russian, Hurigil, Mersin province

She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

ISTANBUL (AP) — Millions of people across Turkey on Tuesday will mourn the loss of more than 53,000 friends, loved ones and neighbors in the country's catastrophic earthquake a year ago. To mark what it calls the “Disaster of the Century," the government has arranged a series of events to commemorate the one-year anniversary of disaster in southern Turkey. Hatay, which lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian border, was the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake. Including the 6,000 people killed in neighboring Syria, the quake left more than 59,000 dead. He also will take part in handing over completed homes to survivors, and then spend the rest of the week touring other cities in the earthquake zone.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Ozel Organizations: Republican Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Hatay, Ulu, Syrian, Syria, Kahramanmaras, rehouse, Gaziantep

☆ Turkey Wants Syrian Refugees to Go Home - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Joshua Levkowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

ANTAKYA, Turkey — It was the Syrians who were responsible for the earthquakes. That’s what a Turkish man told Seyfeddin Selim, a refugee from Homs, Syria, who used to sell groceries in Antakya, the capital of Hatay province in southern Turkey. When the earthquakes hit in February, Mr. Selim’s shop was cleared out by looters before he could get there. Turkey is host to the largest number of refugees of any country in the world — and currently about 3.6 million Syrian refugees. For the first few years after the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Turkey’s open-door policy was a source of national pride, and Turkey was lauded for its emergency care.

Persons: Seyfeddin Selim, Selim’s, Selim didn’t, Turkey’s Organizations: Mr Locations: ANTAKYA, Turkey, Turkish, Homs, Syria, Antakya, Hatay

She had also survived a smaller earthquake in the southeastern province of Elazig in 2020, she said, and expected Mr. Erdogan to help now as he had helped then. “Otherwise, the people wouldn’t have voted for him.”Interviews with quake survivors indicated many reasons that the disaster had not changed their political outlook. Some whose homes were destroyed said they had more faith in Mr. Erdogan to rebuild the affected areas than they had in his challenger, the opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. There are empty lots where buildings that collapsed once stood and blue and white tents sheltering quake survivors are scattered around town. Instead of voting based on the government’s quake response, residents said they focused on other issues.

☆ Erdogan seeks new term in Turkey runoff election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Polls have opened in Turkey’s presidential runoff as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fights for a historic third term on Sunday. Erdogan is going head-to-head with opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a 74-year-old bureaucrat and leader of the left-leaning CHP. In the first round of voting on May 14, Erdogan secured a nearly five-point lead over Kilicdaroglu but fell short of the 50% threshold needed to win. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. Umit Bektas/ReutersSix opposition groups had formed an unprecedented unified bloc behind Kilicdaroglu to try to wrest power from Erdogan.

[1/6] Mehmet Ali Fakioglu arrives by bus from Istanbul to Hatay to vote during Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections, in Hatay, Turkey May 14, 2023. But as he prepared to cast his ballot, he voiced criticism of the state's slow response to the disaster in which more than 50,000 people were killed. We were forgotten, all of us, on that day, the second day even on the third day. Critics and earthquake survivors have accused Erdogan's government of both a slow response and lax enforcement of building rules - failures they said cost lives. He said around 1.5 million people had left the quake zone, only a portion of whom had registered new addresses for the purpose of voting.

He said he came back to Antakya, the hardest hit city in the earthquake zone, with eight of his family members. They drove by car for about four hours from another southern province to vote. They cited not only the government’s response to the earthquake, but its handling of the economy in recent years, when inflation has surged. They said it was depressing to return to the earthquake zone and see that the government had only removed rubble, but taken no other discernible actions to pave the way for residents to return. That is a substantial share of the nearly nine million eligible voters in the 11 quake-affected provinces of southern Turkey.

☆ What the voters say as Turkey votes in landmark elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Deniz Uyar | Oriana Boselli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ISTANBUL/ANTAKYA, Turkey, May 14 (Reuters) - Here are some views from Turkish citizens as their country voted on Sunday in elections that could extend President Tayyip Erdogan's rule into a third decade or see a transfer of power to his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. I don't think it will go to a runoff," said school staff member Hasibe, 40, in the school where Erdogan voted on the Asian side of the city. I chose democracy and I hope that my country chooses democracy. "Of course, there are good things (Erdogan) did, but lately, they started to look down on and insult the nation. As you can see, even in elections, votes are being cast in ballot boxes outside," said school teacher Behzat Oz.

ApartmentComplex Before dawn on Feb. 6, a powerful earthquake in southern Turkey destroyed an upscale apartment complex, killing hundreds. The main building in the Renaissance complex toppled over, evidence that the building had major vulnerabilities on the lower level and the south side. Tall column Recreational space on ground floor Antis Yapi via Facebook The most vulnerable part of Renaissance was the ground floor, which had an open layout. 3-D model highlights the ground floor columns and recreational spaces. The horizontal forces could have weakened the ground floor columns and possibly torn them apart.

Reuters interviews with Kar and a dozen other voters in Antakya reflected anger over what some viewed as a slow initial government response to the disaster. The voices are a small snapshot of Antakya and the wider area of southern Turkey hit by the earthquake, a region home to nine million voters and traditionally an Erdogan stronghold. Only 4.3% of voters viewed the quake as Turkey's biggest problem last month, with most more concerned by an economy racked by rampant inflation. Nearby, excavators resound as they demolish some of the 80-90% of buildings estimated to have suffered quake damage. The opposing sides present very different narratives about Erdogan and his government's response to the disaster.

ANTAKYA, Turkey—The Hatay international airport was meant to be a gleaming model for what the government called “the New Turkey,” kicking off one of the biggest building booms of the 21st century. Danger signs were flashing from the start.

Fear that another tragedy could strike forced her to leave Istanbul because she couldn't afford a new apartment there, she said. However, seismologists said the February disaster has not changed the likelihood of an Istanbul quake, with the two areas on different faultlines. Any disaster in Istanbul would stagger Turkey's economy given the broader Marmara region accounts for some 41% of national GDP. Some 1.5 million homes are considered at risk in the city, Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said this week. According to official data, an average of more than three people live in each household, meaning up to 5 million live in these properties.

"It is not clear whether some citizens are alive or dead in the earthquake zone. Erdogan's AK Party has said it is committed to a free and fair election that respects the will of the people. BALLOT BOX SECURITYOpposition parties and non-governmental organisations say the exodus of more than 3 million people from the disaster zone poses extra concerns. While some 300,000 to 500,000 of them were thought to have changed addresses, many of those who had left the disaster zone had not, added Tiryaki. For Yigit, the earthquake and what he sees as the government's slow response to the disaster weighs on him as he decides how to vote.

Video footage from a drone flying down a street in Antakya’s Old City, which is covered in rubble and surrounded by collapsed buildings. Called Saray Street by locals, this stretch was once lined with more than 70 shops, restaurants and other businesses. The destruction on Saray Street is a fraction of all that was lost in Old City. Video clip of Saray Street before the quakes, showing stores and patrons during the holiday season. Damaged or destroyed historic or cultural landmark Map showing the boundaries of Old City and labeling cultural landmarks that were damaged or destroyed.

☆ Thousands of Buildings Collapsed in One Turkish City. Thousands More May Have to Come Down.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Leanne Abraham | Lauren Leatherand Scott Reinhard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Four of the complex’s five buildings collapsed. About 3,100 buildings collapsed in Antakya, trapping residents and killing more than 20,000 people in the city, Lutfu Savas, the metropolitan mayor, said on Feb. 19. Shake intensity Moderate Severe TURKEY 7.8-magnitude earthquake Antakya TURKEY mediterranean SEA SYRIA Area of detail SYRIA TURKEY Area of detail SYRIA TURKEY 7.8-magnitude earthquake Antakya SYRIA Source: USGS Shake intensity shown only for the first Feb. 6 earthquake. Shops’ higher ceilings and wider windows often come at the expense of structural support against earthquake damage. Two of the complex’s five buildings collapsed, trapping residents inside.

ANTAKYA, Turkey—The Turkish government’s difficulties managing the aftermath of last month’s earthquakes have presented an awkward situation for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan : Some of his biggest rivals are helping to fill the gaps in the state’s response. Civil-society groups, political parties and opposition-run municipal governments have become surrogate governments in many of the worst-hit areas, handing out food and clothing, setting up makeshift medical centers, collecting garbage, fighting fires and repairing roads in cities that so far have received little aid from the central government.

☆ Turkey earthquake survivors search rubble for their gold savings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reyhan Vural, 48, and her 59-year-old husband Metin survived the devastating Feb. 6 quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria. "Our everything is in the rubble," Vural said, gesturing at the mound of debris that was her home on a quiet street lined with citrus trees. "We were going to buy a house and the gold for it was in there," she said. They believe in gold," said a contractor clearing rubble and who declined to give his name. Authorities are swiftly clearing the rubble and starting to focus on rebuilding for the millions who lost their homes.

[1/5] The destroyed Habib-i Najjar Mosque is pictured in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 16, 2023. "What we learn from our elders is that Hatay witnessed seven earthquakes in its history but it was reborn from its ashes. PAINTINGS OF THE SAINTSThe bell tower lies on its side, with clothes placed on top for earthquake victims to take. Among the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquake were Saul Cenudioglu, leader of the Jewish community in Antakya, and his wife, Tuna Cenudioglu. The rabbi said he came to Antakya after the earthquakes to check on the Jewish community and take them to Istanbul.

[1/4] Ibrahim Kurt helps salvage belongings from a collapsed home in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Nurdagi, Turkey, March 5, 2023. This 20-year-long rapid construction came crashing down in just two minutes," said Hasan Bal, 52, a retired teacher who lost 10 immediate relatives in the magnitude 7.8 quake. The initial quake on Feb. 6 tremor sliced directly through Nurdagi, leaving it among the worst hit communities in Turkey's deadliest modern disaster. Residents say cheap credit had helped the town expand, reflecting a nationwide building boom that has defined Erdogan's two decades in power. Aslan said her family is thankful for a furnished container home where they live for now on the outskirts of town.

☆ In Turkey's quake-devasted city of Antakya, an antiques seller is determined to stay put
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Timour Azhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Close by was a mosaic portrait of Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, old magazines and several Turkish flags. "Even before the earthquake, these chairs were outside, I had items outside to show that we run an antique shop ... In one room, a wall collapsed on top of his collection of Turkish antique glassware. A man who has made a living from old things, Sincan said he took a historical view of the earthquake's devastation. Sincan said he was confident the city would rise again.

☆ One month after earthquake, survivors shelter in tents, rubble and trains
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Eftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other...moreEftelya Arslan, 7, kisses her father Ahmet Arslan as he cares for his daughter Lara, 11, outside their tent in Orhanli tent city in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey. Ahmet Arslan lost his wife and two other children during the earthquake. His daughter Lara, who's physically and mentally impaired, is having a very difficult time coping. "This is no place for her, but if they take her away from us, she's going to be even worse off," Arslan says.

☆ How the Turkey earthquake caused thousands of aftershocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

10,000 tremors How Turkey has been rattled by aftershocks since the Feb. 6 earthquakeThousands of earthquakes struck southern Turkey in the weeks after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6, killing more than 50,000 people in Turkey and northwest Syria. Chart shows about ten thousand earthquakes that have been recorded in southern Turkey since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred on February 6. The Turkey quake also triggered a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that caused a separate rupture in the Earth’s surface, which in turn caused thousands of aftershocks. Domino effect Seismologists define aftershocks as temblors triggered by a large earthquake, close in time and location. Chart shows aftershocks that occurred in 24 hours after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey within 30 kilometers around the city of Antakya.

☆ After Turkey Earthquakes, Families Grieve Missing Loved Ones Who Might Never Be Found
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | Vildan Ay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ANTAKYA, Turkey—For three weeks, Gülhan Aslan kept a vigil, sitting by the ruins of a high-rise building. Her 23-year-old daughter, Zeyna, was staying in a friend’s apartment inside when two earthquakes hit Turkey earlier this month. She hasn’t been seen since. About 80 people who were believed to be in the collapsed apartment complex, the Ronesans Residence, are still missing, relatives said. Rescue operations at the site have given way to reconstruction, with large excavating machines clearing away the rubble.

☆ Turkey quake survivors struggle to find shelter nearly three weeks on
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Ece Toksabay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANTAKYA, Turkey, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Omran Alswed and his family are still living in makeshift shelters almost three weeks after the massive earthquake in southern Turkey, having been unable to find a place in an official camp. "Our houses are heavily damaged so we have taken shelter here, in a garden in our neighbourhood," said Alswed, who studied nursing at Siirt University in southeast Turkey. He was speaking after Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said overnight that the death toll in Turkey had risen to 44,218, bringing the total toll including Syria to 50,000. AFAD said over 335,000 tents have been erected in the quake zone in Turkey and container home settlements were being established at 130 locations. Nearly 530,000 people have also been evacuated from the quake zone.

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