Two years after the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey, memories and suffering remain lively for many survivors. The earthquake of magnitude 7.8 of February 6, 2023, followed by a second powerful shock, destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in 11 provinces, killing more than 53,000 people in Turkey and 6,000 in the North of Syria.
Prayers were recited in the mosques on Thursday, and the survivors visited cemeteries, placing eyelets on the tombs and offering their condolences. A minute of silence was observed at 4:17 am, the exact time of the earthquake, with cries of “Can someone can hear me?” Recalling the calls of people trapped under the rubble.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently announced that 45 % of replacement dwellings had been completed by the end of 2024, with the aim of delivering a total of 452,983 houses, stores and work spaces by the end of 2025 . Jessie Thomson, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in Turkey, said that almost half a million people still live in temporary container cities two years after the earthquake.
