Turkey has been in mourning since Monday, after the earthquake of magnitude 7.8 which made more than 18,300 victims. The state’s response capacity is put to the test and reveals the invisible boundaries of the territory.
by Angèle Pierre (Diyarbakir (Turkey), Special Envoy)
“I can’t get this scene out of my head, keeps repeating Sultan, a resident of Diyarbakir, sobbing, we had been neighboring for years. She was pregnant. She was screaming from Terror to the window after the First shock when the building collapsed on her. A family of six … Only the 6 year old has managed to escape narrowly. “Since Monday, the grandmother in his sixties tells The scene, again and again. In shock of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which affected southeast Turkey, she and her relatives found refuge in the premises of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the major city in the majority regions Kurdish of the country. Installed on the first floor of the building, the family has reconstructed an interior semblance: mattress arranged along the walls as a sofa, play area for children, quieter corners reserved for rest …
“I tried to go home, but I am afraid that the building will collapse. The gas was cut … and I feel like you can smell a smell, like that of a corpse, “she said, a slightly more marked tension on the face. Sitting cross -legged in front of her, one of her cousins listens to the yet the story with compassion. She expects news from three family members stuck under the rubble. Three days after the drama, miracles continue to occur. The provisional assessment of the disaster reports 18,342 dead, the deadliest earthquake in the country since that of Erzincan in 1939, which had made nearly 33,000 victims.
For others, anger has now replaced mourning. “Do you realize? All solidarity is organized on social networks, people need help, and the authorities decide to suspend Twitter!”, Enrage Mahmut, young 25-year-old music teacher, frowned eyebrows and black gaze. Having grown up in the Kurdish regions subject to the pressure of the central authorities, he nevertheless caressed the dream of one day living in a country freed from ethnic tensions. The government’s political response has finished reducing its hopes in crumbs. “For four days, what revolted me the most was Erdogan’s television speech after the disaster. There was only anger and hardness in his gaze … as a victim of An earthquake, I did not expect that from the president. I saw no trouble in his gaze, no empathy, “he exclaims. The fear that has taken hold of society in recent years dissuaded criticism against the government. The drama of recent days has dismissed languages.
You have 60.12% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.