It is the seventh day without any news from the basement where dozens remain trapped for 15 days. The other basement, where 9 out of 35 people burned to death yesterday, hasn't been reached either since last night.
The state of siege under the name of curfew continues in Cizre district of Şırnak for the 55th uninterrupted days.
It was one week ago when last contact was established with the basement in Cudi neighborhood where 31 people remain trapped for two weeks now. These include 15 wounded and 9 exhausted civilians in addition to 7 others who bled to death due to persistent denial of medical response. Ambulances have continuously been hindered access to the basement on alleged grounds of clashes while Civilian Defense Units (YPS) state that they have no units deployed in the mentioned area where therefore no fighting is taking place over the past two weeks.
On the other hand, it came out 2 days ago that 37 other wounded people were stuck in another basement in the same Cudi neighborhood.
A fire started by heavy attacks of Turkish forces on the top floors of the building bounced to the basement where people took shelter, as a result of which 9 heavily wounded people burned to death. Fire squads were denied access to the scene on alleged grounds of "clashes", an excuse persistently put forward by Turkish forces in an obvious attempt to hinder the rescue of trapped civilians, as is the case regarding the other basement.
Ambulances of Cizre Municipality were sent to this area, too, but were similarly hindered by state forces on alleged grounds of "clashes in the area".
Cizre People's Council co-chair Mehmet Tunç who also takes shelter in the mentioned building under fire, stated yesterday that 9 people inside burned to death as a result of the fire started by artillery attacks. Late yesterday evening, 16-year-old Abdullah Gün was shot dead by state forces after he went out of the basement for a while.
While the death toll in the basement rose to 10 during the past 2 days, there are a total of 27 people with injuries, including children, many of whom have suffered severe burns.
Turkish forces yesterday surrounded the building with armored vehicles and made announcements to the wounded people stuck inside, saying "Surrender or you will be responsible for the consequences". Artillery attacks against the building intensified in the evening hours. In the meantime, Şırnak Governor's Office claimed a written statement yesterday that the fire in the building was started by PKK members.
As Turkish forces are kind of making an effort to make the trapped people die in two basements, as many as 17 people with injuries have been murdered so far. Their bodies remain together with the wounded in both basements.