Türkiye Earthquake: ‘Are they dead or alive?’

Muscat: Even after five days, many Turkish expats living in Oman are yet to get in touch with their families in Türkiye as an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 and subsequent aftershocks have reduced the entire infrastructure to rubble in Türkiye.

Though relief and rescue work have been started on a war footing, it will take months before normalcy returns.

In deep grief, a Turkish resident Mohammed Al Taff, who works at a Turkish restaurant, said that he has lost seven of his relatives in the devastating earthquake. “Until now, I do not know anything about my brother and his family. They live in a remote village in Antakya. I do not know anything about them because of the internet outage. I pray to God in hope that they are safe and secure.”

Another Oman resident, Mounir Azdu, has a similar story to tell. Desperate for an update about his family, he said: “Even after so many days, I don’t know anything about my family. I don’t know what to say. It was an earthquake of unimaginable proportion. It is really a catastrophe. Buildings collapsed like ninepins. Entire villages have been reduced to rubble,” he told Times of Oman.

Mounir Azdu – who works in a private company in the Sultanate of Oman, is desperate to know about the wellbeing of his family.

With fear writ large on his face, he said, “I am trying to call my family, but there is no internet. I sent one of my relatives to check their whereabouts but to no avail. So far I have not received a call from them. I am very worried about my family.”

Another Oman-based resident, who did not wish to be identified, said he knows that several people have lost their lives in Hatay, one of the worst quake-hit regions in Türkiye. “It is snowing and raining so rescue work has become difficult. I am still clueless about some of my friends. Honestly speaking, I am expecting a miracle,” he said.

Another Turkish restaurant employee Mohammed Al Taff was in tears while narrating the plight of his family home. He said: “My family, consisting of my wife and two children, was on the third floor of a five-storied building in Antakya, southern Türkiye, during the earthquake.  It was a very strong temblor that led to the destruction of parts of the structure, but fortunately the building did not collapse that day.”

Mohammad also said, “My family rushed out of the building to save themselves. They stayed outside the building in the bitter cold and snowfall fearing that aftershocks would bring the partially damaged apartment down.”

And the worst fears of Mohammad’s family came true when the second earthquake of 6.7-magnitude brought the entire building down. “Thank God, my family did not return to the apartment that morning,” he said.