Ferhat Pala, a member of HDP Youth Assembly, who participates in relief efforts in the earthquake-affected areas, said, “The survivors are hungry and thirsty in desperation.”
People's Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Assembly members who have been taking part in search and rescue operations in Adana, Adiyaman, Amed, Gaziantep, Hatay, Maraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Urfa, which were heavily affected by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, spoke to Mezopotamya news agency.
Ferhat Pala, who arrived in Pazarcik district of Maraş from Van province, has taken part as a volunteer in the relief efforts in the area since the first day of the earthquake.
Pala said that they reached the area with 20 other volunteers. He added that there were no government institutions in the earthquake area, including UMKE (National Medical Rescue Team Unit) and AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency). Pala remarked: “When we came to the earthquake area, we saw the fact that the city was devastated, and survivors were miserable. Victims came to us and asked for help. We had nothing to rescue those trapped under the debris. People were criticizing the absence of the state, and their anger was huge. We stayed in Pazarcik for 7 days. We started to distribute aid coming from cities such as Batman, Mardin and Istanbul to the villages. We saw that people were still trapped under the rubble.”
Pala continued: “Since we didn't have any equipment, we couldn't rescue survivors from the rubble. It was very difficult. Victims are desperate, hungry and thirsty. Despite the freezing temperatures, people still stay outside their houses. The tent problem continues. Since the first day of the earthquake, there have been no rescue teams other than the HDP and NGOs.”
