Ambulances keep whistling past: overseas Chinese in Türkiye

Rescuers saves a survivor from the earthquake that jolted Turkiye and Syria, Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo/Agencies)

(ECNS) -- Overseas Chinese living in Turkiye told China News Service (CNS) of their experience in an interview after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck Turkiye and Syria early Monday, killing more than 4,000 people and toppling thousands of buildings across a wide region.

A woman surnamed Mai who lives in Diyarbakır, 300 kilometers away from the epicenter, experienced two strong quakes. “We were sleeping when the first quake began at around 4 am on Monday and my husband woke me up. The house and lights vacillated, it was very horrible,” said Mai, who fled her house and found the road was full of people and vehicles.

“After the second earthquake, everyone ran outside, and people were afraid to go back to buildings for fear of aftershocks. My family and I stayed in our car and ambulances kept whistling past on the road,” said Mai.

Mai told CNS the strong quakes have affected local network and power, with message services delayed, forcing her to use her mobile sparingly.

“It has snowed heavily the past few days. The weather is very bad. Many supermarkets have closed, but fortunately, I found a restaurant where we could still have a meal,” Mai said.

A woman surnamed Huang living in Antalya, a resort city on the Mediterranean coast of Türkiye, told CNS her of boyfriend’s experience during the disaster.

“My boyfriend was in the epicenter. He and his roommate called each other’s name and quickly hid under the table. After the strong quakes, they stayed in a park until dawn,” Huang said. “Many people drove their cars to the school playground to avoid aftershocks,” she added.

Guli Ayati who lives in Burdur didn’t experience the strong quakes because she lives far away from the epicenter. “Aftershocks continue, and the water in the cup shook slightly sometimes. I can't stand still, either,” said she.

“I suffered from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake during my school time in Chengdu so I know the ruthlessness of the disaster. I hope everyone can survive it and be safe,” she added.

Ms. Hu living in Cappadocia, about 200 kilometers from the epicenter, said local residents were not affected by the quake.

“Neighbors are cleaning the snow and they look very calm,” said Hu.