Families searching for their loved ones after the earthquake

It has been one year since the earthquakes of February 6th. Alongside what we witnessed during the earthquake, there are also things we did not see. Families of the missing faces of the earthquake, who do not believe that their voices have been heard or their pleas have been sufficiently conveyed. Among them are those searching for their children and grandchildren, as well as those searching for their siblings and fathers.

Selahattin Kılınç from Hatay is searching for his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild. From Aksaray, Suna Öztürk is searching for her 36-year-old daughter and her two grandchildren aged 3 and 8 months. Abbas Köse, again from Hatay, is searching for his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.

I don't know where to start, so I want you to tell me. Where would you like to begin?

Selahattin Kılınç: We've searched the rubble three times, not even a single bone was found. Not found. Where have our children gone? Isn't it possible to find a single bone in rubble that has been searched three times?

We rescued 8-10 people from there. A white minibus came and took about 14-15 people. Where are the people who were taken to the hospitals? Where have they disappeared to? Where are these people, I mean, can people disappear in a hospital? But unfortunately, they do.

Suna Öztürk: They didn't search our rubble properly anyway. I saw 15 burned corpses right in front of my eyes. I looked at some of them. They had set up a place there, the one identifying the body was taking their own corpse and leaving. I asked the young forensic doctors, 'Open the bags so I can see. Maybe if my daughter's clothes got stuck to her, I'll recognize her.' Only very small pieces were left of the people. They replied, 'Auntie, what clothes are you talking about, there's nothing left here.'

At first, they were searching diligently, using night vision lamps along with the AKUT team. Later, they told us, 'We received orders from above. The wreckage of the Renaissance Residence is being shown too much on TV, so this wreckage needs to be cleared as soon as possible.' After that, they stopped the search. Then they held a meeting, brought a large projector, and worked in shifts 24/7. They stopped the search. These children disappeared along with the wreckage.

If there were 53 people missing here, and if 10-15 people have been rescued, where are the rest of these people? In the rubble! Let them sift through the rubble, and people will come out from within those rubble. Because they didn't search! They just loaded the rubble onto trucks.

I absolutely do not accept the state's denial, or their turning a blind eye. Even if it is just a tiny piece of nail, this state will say to me, 'This is your child. We have conducted the DNA tests.' Then I will stop searching.

Say one has burned, did two burn, did all three of my children burn? Where have all of my three children gone? I want them to search and find! Just as they removed the rubble without searching, they will search within that rubble and give me even a piece of my child. I can't stay at home, is my child lying dead or alive in that rubble outside in the cold? This pain is beyond description.

Abbas Köse: My losses were in the İlke Apartments. For the first week, we waited there every day. They didn't come out of the rubble. Did they get thrown somewhere during the earthquake, or were they taken somewhere? Or who took them? It's been a year, and we have fifty questions in our heads day and night. Where have our children gone? They're not in the hospital, they're not outside. We gave DNA samples, but there's no match.

We provided samples from three places for testing: my wife, my daughter-in-law's parents, and myself. There's no match from anywhere. Where have our children gone? Did our children get swallowed by the earth? I don't understand. Where have our children gone? We can't find any trace anywhere.

You also gave DNA samples, didn't you?

Selahattin Kılınç: Yes, I did, and so did my in-laws, but there's no result. My losses were in the İlke Apartments. We lost 8 children and 20 adults in that building.

But I know of two more people, they're not on the list. What they say from the forensic department is this: 'DNA analysis is not yet being conducted for Hatay, it's being delayed.' Why is it being delayed? 'We are slaves to orders, let them give us orders so we can work.' There were some matches at the beginning. Work was carried on until May or June, matches were found, and then it was stopped. There has been no work done since then. There has been no work done at all, unfortunately.

Is there any problem with conveying this?

No, there isn't. Please report it. This is what they told me from the Forensic Department: "We haven't conducted any work for Hatay yet. We can't do it. It's being delayed. Why? 'We don't know. Let the orders come, and we'll work,' they say. 

Suna Öztürk: We provided samples, but there's no result. There's no sign of any of the 53 people in the Renaissance Residence.

I want to tell you something. AFAD apparently has 6,000 personnel nationwide. There were earthquakes in 11 provinces, where will these 6,000 people reach? Miners entered the wreckage of the Renaissance Residence. They told the public to collect tree trunks from the surrounding wreckage because they were going to build a tunnel under the building.

They said they would go from bottom to top. These miners made it, but just as they were about to enter, whoever gave that order from above, I swear I saw those miners coming out crying."

They knelt down at the bottom of the truck and cried. They said, 'Even if there are no survivors, at least let's save a few bodies,' but they were not allowed to do that either. Where will 6,000 AFAD personnel in this country reach? Volunteers came by buses, but this time AKUT members didn't let them in. They said they needed permission from Süleyman Soylu, the Minister, even at three in the morning.

'I said, 'Brother, the minister is sleeping in his bed, let the children in,' but who listened! We were able to hear the voices of our neighbor's two daughters right next to us. Volunteers went in to rescue them, but they were not allowed. Two days later, those two sisters were found embracing each other, lifeless. Who will be held accountable for this? I do not forgive any of them as a human being. May God ask them.'

It's going to be a difficult question to ask, but... It's been a year since the disappearances, and according to the law, a declaration of absence is issued after one year. What will you do if this decision is made?

Suna Öztürk: My son-in-law obtained the death certificate. He had to because my children were taking care of me. My son-in-law said to me, 'Let me get this so that you can receive a pension from Tuğba.' But even if my son-in-law gets this, I will still be searching for my children.

Whether they issue it or not, whether we have applied after February 6 or not, they will make this decision of absence. Maybe I will not accept it, you will not accept it, but others will accept it. There are children left orphaned at home, mothers who have become widows and rely on their children for support. They have to live for survival, to not be dependent on charity."

Selahattin Kılınç: We will not accept it. We will make all necessary objections.

Abbas Köse: We are not considering anything regarding the declaration of absence. We want our children to be found. If this decision is made for our children, we will make the necessary objections. We want our children to be found. Let them find a fingernail, a bone, but let them find something.

Actually, we're talking here in vain. The state will find them when there is a will. A motion was submitted in the parliament, but it was rejected by the votes of the AKP-MHP. Nobody cares about us. They are people who only think about their own interests, their own seats.

Look, I personally met with Süleyman Soylu at the Disaster Management Authority in Antakya. Soylu passes the ball to the governor, and the Minister of Health, Fahrettin Koca, passes the ball to the governor of Denizli. I met them, what happened? The governor says he will take care of it, saying he will personally address the citizen's concerns, then he gets into his car and disappears. What will they do with your problems? Will they go crazy with your problems? These matters are meaningless to those people. This state does not look after us! Just wait, DNA will match, just wait for DNA to match! 12 months have passed and still no movement, still no light, no path. We can't move an inch forward.

Have you applied to the cemetery of the nameless?

Selahattin Kılınç: I went there two days ago. They don't say anything, most likely they've been prohibited from doing so as well. There are many graves without names written on them, some are only given numbers. There are many.

Suna Öztürk: My son-in-law applied, but the cemetery is so large that you can't see the beginning or the end of it. It's not possible to excavate and obtain the DNA of so many people in such a short time, like one year. I believe it will take 3-5 years to collect DNA from there.

Moreover, after a declaration of absence is issued for my children, the state will demand twenty thousand lira from me to search for my children in the cemetery for the nameless. I don't have that money. My children will remain in that unclaimed cemetery.

They should seek support from abroad for this DNA matching process. They should alleviate the pain of at least these 147 people as soon as possible. I think there are more missing than 147. A woman lost 8 of her daughters, but she doesn't want to appear on television. She says she wants to live in her home because she wants to keep her pain private.

After February 6, if there are people who died in hospitals nationwide and are lying unclaimed, I want their DNA to be matched as well. Surely someone will come out from there too.

We went to the parliament for the motion, we went to Hüseyin Yayman. He told us, "There are so many missing from the Renaissance Residence, from the İlke Apartments, and there so many missing with other families. Who are you blaming?" He told us to forget about the missing from the Renaissance Residence. "That place burned down, turned to ashes, close it, look elsewhere," he said to us. Is this acceptable?

Did you encounter any obstacles while searching for your missing loved ones?"

Suna Öztürk: No, I didn't encounter any. They just took the petitions I submitted and said they would inform us later.

Selahattin Kılınç: I didn't encounter any obstacles, but there's no response. We want mass graves to be excavated, DNA matching to be done, hospitals and care homes to be investigated as soon as possible. That's what we want, for these things to be done as soon as possible.

Abbas Köse: We didn't encounter any obstacles, but we're not getting any results. We submitted petitions, but there's still no response. Our problem is that we're not getting any response from anywhere.

What will you do from now on?"

Selahattin Kılınç: I will continue with the association. Individually, I haven't gotten any results no matter which door I've knocked on. If we continue with the association, maybe we'll get some results. If all the families of the missing apply to this association, if we walk together somewhere, we'll make our voice stronger.

Abbas Köse: We will continue with the association. Individually, we've spent so much time and couldn't achieve anything. We'll try to make our voice heard through the association.

Suna Öztürk: I will continue searching for my children through the association. Even if I don't eat for days or months, I have to stand up to find my children. I have to stand up for my son, my grandson, my daughter-in-law... I have to stand up for them, I have to stand up to find my children so that I can fight my battle to the fullest.

They poured the wreckage of the Renaissance Residence into a hidden place, and we found it too. I will go to the place where that wreckage is, and I will hold a press conference there.

If we still don't get any response, I will continue searching. If nothing else, we'll go to parliament and pour gasoline over ourselves. Find my child! I want even a fraction of them, even a strand of hair. They have to find them just like they destroyed them.

(GÇ/EMK/PE)