According to official figures, more than 50,000 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been injured in the series of earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border region since 6 February. The number of unreported cases is much higher, and not all of the dead have been recovered. According to the Turkish government, 20 million people in the country have been affected.

People in the earthquake region are leaving their homes en masse. The main reason for the exodus is the lack of support from the Turkish state. The earthquake victims, who have no shelter and no food, are forced to leave the region.

HDP MP Kemal Bülbül spoke to ANF in Adiyaman. Commenting on the mass exodus, the Alevi politician explained that people leave the region because their houses are damaged or completely destroyed. However, he said, this should not mean that they should leave their homes forever.

Referring to the problems in the earthquake region, Bülbül said: "Precautions must be taken against people's concerns. But this measure should not mean that they leave their homes and go away. The state is planning it that way, but people should take note. It is true that there are basic problems here, such as housing, food, communication, cleanliness, feeding of animals and traffic. For example, the tobacco of the tobacco growers and the apricots of the apricot growers have been spilled. Farm animals have also been buried under the rubble. We also need to recover from the psychological impact of the earthquake and take measures for life. Because there is a situation here that goes beyond food distribution. It also affects migration."

"THERE ARE CORPSES UNDER THE RUBBLE"

Bülbül remarked that the HDP has proposals for those who have to leave: "They can leave as a precaution, provided they return. However, the damage here must also be ascertained. The collapsed buildings must be examined, and the dead identified. The government is portraying the rubble as rubbish, but there are still bodies under the rubble. There are also valuable things in this rubble; equipment, jewellery and personal mementos. These need to be taken care of. Therefore, it is possible to go to the big cities as a precautionary measure to solve urgent problems, but only on the condition that people return."

"THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT FACE THE OPPOSITION"

In addition, there are increasing attempts to profit from the exodus, said the HDP MP and continued: "Today it was found that 500,000 people have gone to Mersin. There is also an exodus to cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. But are the needs of the people there being met? No. The cheapest rent in Antalya, for example, is 15,000 TL. How can an earthquake victim whose house was destroyed pay 15,000 TL for a flat? We have people opening their houses and hotels, but this will not last forever. Because the tourist season will open, and these opportunities will disappear. The state must mobilise all its possibilities. The state says it has collected TL 110 billion. How will it use this money? Parliament has not been opened until today because the government does not have the face to face the opposition."

"THE REAL DISASTER IS THE AKP"

Bülbül said that the real disaster was not the earthquake, but the AKP itself: "During the AKP's time in power, there have been floods, fires, earthquakes, economic crises and wars. Only a meteorite has not hit the earth so far. This AKP is itself a disaster. The AKP and its mentality should go away. Therefore, we should not leave our homeland. If we leave, we should go back. Here, a policy of assimilation and depopulation is being carried out against the Kurdish and Alevi communities. Let us take care of our future and strengthen our solidarity. I would like to thank the civil society organisations that showed solidarity here and helped the earthquake victims, the municipality of Çınar for distributing food and the media for reporting the truth."