An image taken by one of Elia Atiyeh's family members of rescue teams arriving at a collapsed building in Aleppo to begin rescue and recovery. Picture: Supplied
“It looks like the big decider, God, does not want to give us relief from tragedy.”
These were the exasperated words of a Syrian man, Elia Atiyeh who has been desperately trying to reach his family and friends around the country, after a massive earthquake devastated southeast Turkey and northern Syria on Monday morning.
Speaking to IOL on Monday, Atiyeh who lives in the country’s capital, Damascus, said he and his wife were abruptly awoken by tremors at around 4.15am.
“We felt it mild compared to my family in Aleppo and elsewhere but still it was a bad feeling. Everyone was in bed when we felt the shaking, we jumped out of bed and tried to see what we should do,” Atiyeh said.
He said that since it was bitterly cold and raining, they hesitated in leaving their building and chose to wait and see if there would be another strike.
“Thankfully here in Damascus, we were lucky and there was nothing after that,” he said.
His family in Aleppo and other parts of Syria, Atiyeh said, were forced out of their homes in the bitter cold and rain because of fears that their buildings would collapse.
Atiyeh said he spent most of the morning tracking down his family and friends to check on their safety.
“They are still very much disoriented and shaking. I can hear it in their voices,” he said.
Atiyeh said one family member told him that first strike was massive and lasted about 45 seconds, however the aftershock lasted at least 30 minutes.
“They are afraid of more coming,” he added.
Shortly after the IOL spoke with Atiyeh, Turkey’s AFAD emergency authority and the United States Geological Service (USGS) reported another earthquake in southeast Turkey.
Turkish authorities said the quake was a magnitude 7.6. The USGS said the earthquake was a magnitude 7.5, reporting that it hit at 1:24 pm four kilometres south-southeast of the town of Ekinozu in the Kahramanmaras, where a 7.8 earthquake had struck hours earlier.
While many have been left displaced because their buildings crumbled to the ground, others were n too afraid to re-enter their buildings for fear of their collapsing. Atiyeh said some residents were trying to flee the area.
Even the rescue and recovery operations are under threat.
Atiyeh said most rescue and recovery teams were unable to work properly because of lack of equipment and shortage of fuel and diesel - two devastating impacts of 11 years of war in Syria.
“Because of the war, things are very bad here. Equipment is missing so the emergency teams are unable to work at their best and with the shortage of fuels, they are not able to get around easily.
“It looks like the big decider, God does not want to give us relief from tragedy. It has been ongoing for a long time,” he said.
He appealed to humanitarian groups and international governments to come to the aid of Syria. He said the war had left them with a shortage of medical supplies and now more people have been left with no shelter, food or clothing and were in desperate need of assistance.
“This is no time for politics, this is about saving people’s lives. The international community should understand that Syria is in great need of help and to do good for people means you don’t have to be asked. They should not wait for Syria to ask for international aid,” Atiyeh said.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
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