'We have to return to our damaged houses because of the cold'

Photos: Roza Yiğit / bianet

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Life started to return to normal in Diyarbakır yesterday (February 9) while the rescue efforts still continued in the wreckages of the collapsed buildings.

Diyarbakır Protection and Solidarity Platform announced the consequences of the February 6 earthquakes in the city yesterday. Accordingly, 217 people lost their lives, 32 people are in intensive care units, and there are a total of 1080 injured, 130 of which are inpatients as of yesterday.

Diyarbakır’da depremin 4. gününde enkaz alanlarında arama kurtarma çalışmaları devam ediyor, insanlar hala umutla yakınlarını bekliyor. pic.twitter.com/FX3ZT9wpKD

— roza sierra (@rozasiera) February 9, 2023

Wet and cold

Since the weather is cold, and since the tents and heating are inadequate, some people had to return to their damaged houses.

Sabiha Çelik is staying in a tent in Koşuyolu Park. She says, "We have a tent, but the floor is wet. We are staying with our 6 children in the tent. We only have four blankets, we cannot keep warm." Çelik says they are going to go to their house even though it is damaged. She says her children will die because of the cold otherwise.

Digger to Adıyaman

Diyarbakır is both trying to heal their own pains and preparing aid materials for Adıyaman, Hatay, and Maraş.

Tarık Matyar describes how they are collecting and sending aid to Adıyaman with their own means and a group of 15 people went to Adıyaman with a digger that they were able to find.

Efforts continue in wreckages

There are 7 buildings that collapsed totally in the city. Rescue efforts continue in the wreckages of these buildings.

Many more dead bodies were reached yesterday in the 8-floor Tesisler Serin 2 apartment building that collapsed. 120 people are told to live in this building and 38 dead bodies were found here until yesterday. (RY/AÖ/PE)