The search and rescue efforts in the Elbistan district of Maraş are progressing very slowly. Far too few forces are active, and people have neither tents nor any other supplies. People are waiting in front of the rubble for news of their relatives. Many have lost hope. They demand that at least the dead finally be taken out of the rubble. People have been living outside since Monday at an average of minus 15 degrees. So far, they have received neither containers nor tents. Therefore, the inhabitants of the district are trying to save themselves from freezing to death by lighting fires.

"WE'RE FREEZING TO DEATH!"

Meral Döner herself was trapped and she was able to rescue her children from the rubble of their collapsed house. Speaking to the Mezopotamya news agency (MA), Döner said, "Is it something impossible if we ask for at least a scrap of cloth?" I have been struggling to survive in the open with my children since Monday. We are in a terrible situation. Neither AFAD [state disaster management agency] nor the Red Crescent have come yet. We have not received tents or medicine. We are freezing to death. The state does not want to see us and is silent. The women living here are in a terrible situation. My child has a fever, but I cannot find any medicine. My house was destroyed. I pulled my four children out of the rubble with great difficulty, and now I have nowhere to go. There is not even a tent or a piece of cloth for us to sleep in. Volunteers from all over are sending food, but that is not enough. We want a tent or at least a piece of cloth. What are we supposed to do when the state doesn't even offer us that?"

"THERE ARE PEOPLE UNDER THE RUBBLE"

Neriman Yüksek, who was also buried under the ruins of her house, demanded that at least the dead finally be taken out of the rubble, saying: "We are in a very difficult situation. We don't want food. We want someone to take care of us. Our family members are still under the rubble, they are lying there, and we are waiting helplessly. There are people under the rubble, but nobody cares. We are told that no more sounds are coming from the building, and then they don't care. We are in a very difficult situation. Listen to us. We want our relatives to be taken out of the rubble, and this is not a big request. Get our dead out of there. On TV they stand and complain that looting is going on, but the people are down and thirsty. There are only volunteers here, the state is not there. Yesterday, when an ambulance came, I asked where it came from, and they said it was a volunteer team. We haven't even seen the state yet."

"THE STATE SHOULD AT LEAST THINK OF THE VICTIMS FOR ONCE"

Speaking of discrimination against the people of Elbistan, another resident, Mehmet Şeker, said: "My house collapsed on me, but no one takes care of us. We are outside from morning to night, 24 hours a day, and we warm ourselves by the fire. We have come out from under the rubble, we are not dead yet, but we are going to die of cold here. Help is coming from everywhere, but it is not enough. If there is law and justice, our needs for protection must be met. We are suffering, enough is enough! They have sent all the big units to other places and left us to die. There are so many collapsed buildings, but no search and rescue units are coming to get people out. What is our crime? We are in a miserable situation. They must finally end our suffering. The state must now take care of the victims. The state should at least think about us victims for once."

"WE NEED TENTS SO THAT WE DON'T FREEZE TO DEATH"

Ali Yılmaz, who has been staying outdoors since the day of the earthquake, said: "Everyone sees what we are going through in Elbistan. We are a family of ten and we are staying in the open. We have no place to go. No one asks about our situation. Our neighbourhood was destroyed, we lost our houses, but nobody asks about our situation. We are victims and we should be helped."

A woman named Neriman Karcı said, "We are finished, we are all sick. Nobody helps us and we have no shelter. We want a tent, so we don't die, but they won't give us that either."

"PEOPLE ARE DYING BUT NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING"

Boran Varlık, who was injured during rescue work, said: "The buildings collapsed in the earthquake. We called for rescue teams, but no one came. While we were trying to rescue someone from the rubble, we got trapped underneath. There was a fire under the rubble. We called the fire brigade, but no one came. We spoke to a trapped child who was under the rubble for three days, but because no one came, he died. Today we recovered his body. People are dying but no one is doing anything. Body parts have been found for two days, but no one knows who they belong to. We are waiting in fear. Our only request is that these people be taken out of the rubble. There are no tents, no state, no explanation."