The ones who lost their lives in Gölcük Earthquake commemorated

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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It has been 21 years since a major earthquake hit Turkey's western Marmara region on August 17, 1999. The ones who lost their lives in the earthquake have been commemorated in Gölcük, Kocaeli earlier today.

As the earthquake happened at 3.02 a.m. 21 years ago today, a wreath was placed on the Earthquake Monument in Kavaklı sea coast at 3.02 a.m.

Commemoration ceremonies were also held in Yalova and Sakarya. In Yalova, citizens marched to the Earthquake Monument in silence. In Sakarya, a film featuring interviews with victims was screened.

'The grief of losing a child...'

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at the commemoration ceremony in Gölcük, Hülya Döleker (59), who was herself trapped under debris and lost her two children in the earthquake, has briefly said:

"I was trapped under the debris. We were rescued six hours later. I got my pelvis broken. They said I might be paralyzed. If my son was alive, he would be 38 years old today and my daughter 35. I laid my daughter to rest in Gölcük. We found my son in Sivas 10 days later. He was buried there. I came to this commemoration ceremony from İstanbul. Griefs are refreshed.

"The grief of losing a child is not forgotten anyway. The moment you die and reunite with them, it is only then you are relieved of this grief. May God forbid that even a single person suffers such grief."

'We recovered our mother's body 40 days later'

İlker Özkap (45), who was trapped under the debris of his house in Gölcük and could reach her mother's body only 40 days later, has also said:

"Our house in Gölcük Merkez (Center) Neighborhood collapsed. I was wounded in the collapse. I lost my mother. We would take her out of the debris after almost 40 day. We lived through really tough times. We had really bad memories. There were several shortcomings back then.

"The intervention was very delayed, the wreckage was removed very late. Bodies were recovered really late. I could also reach our mother's deceased body very late. I apparently still had time to live that I survived. I was a news camera operator in İstanbul. I was on a leave when the earthquake hit. We also lost some of our relatives. We had so much grief."

About the Gölcük Earthquake

On August 17, 1999, the Marmara Region lived the longest 45 seconds of its history. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit the district of Gölcük in Kocaeli at 03.02 in the morning caused damage not only in Kocaeli, but also in neighboring cities of İstanbul, Yalova and Sakarya.

According to official figures, 17 thousand 840 people lost their lives in the earthquake. While 43 thousand 953 people were injured, 505 people became permanently disabled. Tens of people got missing.

According to the report prepared by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Investigation Commission established to analyze the earthquake risks and to specify the precautions to be taken in earthquake management, it is estimated that around 50 thousand people died and 100 thousand people were injured in the earthquake that hit Gölcük.

285 thousand 211 houses and 42 thousand 902 workplaces were severely damaged in the earthquake. 133 thousand 683 buildings collapsed and almost 600 thousand people became homeless.

The earthquake that hit the country's industrial center inflicted an irreparable damage on Turkey's economy. Oil refineries, petrochemical facilities, metal facilities, automotive, paper and plastic factories, raw material facilities and others had to stop the production. The total cost of the earthquake was calculated as almost 20 billion dollars. (TP/SD)