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IZMIR. The death toll after the earthquake outside Turkey is increasing.
But amidst the intense rescue work on the collapsed eight-story building in Izmir, the crowd suddenly cheers.
A voice is heard under the crushed concrete blocks.
About 30 rescuers are drilling and digging right now in what remains of one of the 20 residential buildings that collapsed yesterday when the earthquake struck the west coast of Turkey at lunchtime on Friday.
Movies and images of the great earthquake show tall buildings being pulverized in just seconds. There was chaos in the streets, many ran to escape the tsunami that followed and people were urged to stay in the streets and squares so as not to risk being buried indoors in an aftershock.
On Saturday, the atmosphere is much calmer on the streets of Izmir. Here, in the Baraklu district, is one of the most affected buildings.
Rescue workers, bulldozers, dogs and civilians lifting concrete blocks and gravel with their bare hands. On the other side of the barricades: around a hundred hopeful locals huddling to continue the hunt for life.
Photo: Magnus Wennman
Rescue workers in demolished buildings on the outskirts of Izmir.
You will find everyone
Of the 27 confirmed deaths so far after the earthquake, seven bodies have been found in the remains of a single apartment building on eight floors. According to the information, about one hundred of the total of 800 injured who managed to be rescued were rescued from this particular house.
On Saturday morning, onlookers cheered as a teenage girl was pulled from the concrete rubble and greeted by her family. When Aftonbladet arrives at the scene, the drills rumble and people crowd together hoping for a glimpse of progress.
And so it happens. Suddenly cheers and applause are heard. Rescuers raise their arms to the sky.
– They have heard a voice from within, says humanitarian worker Okan Simsek.
A stunned silence reigns for half a minute after the rescuers’ signal: a hand extended.
Then they start again, with machines and body strength.
It is not clear how many can still remain in the building. Maybe a hundred, someone says. Maybe ten, someone else says. One thing is for sure, according to aid worker Simsek.
– We will continue until we find everyone.
Photo: Magnus Wennman
Great drama in the racial masses.
“I hugged mom”
The earthquake, which reached 7 on the Richter scale and was felt throughout the Aegean Sea and in Athens in Greece, as well as in Istanbul in Turkey, was followed by several minor aftershocks.
Izmir residents whose houses have been damaged or cracked are still urged not to return. Instead, they are referred to aid organizations, makeshift tents, or mosques.
According to President Erdogan, the state has deployed the highest possible level of resources to help after the disaster. Hundreds of rescuers were dispatched to Seferihisar, a city south of Izmir, where a minor tsunami that ripped through the streets destroyed several houses and killed at least one person.
Photo: Magnus Wennman
Turkey has deployed “the highest possible level of resources” to help after the earthquake disaster.
However, no major earthquake is expected in the coming days based on current forecasts.
But the concern after the biggest earthquake in the area in 52 years remains.
– I was very scared when it happened, I hugged my mother tightly and felt that I wanted to leave. I’m still afraid of what might happen, says Ceren Ersenler, 19, whose home has survived tax-free.
Across the water, the Greek island of Samos, a wall of a collapsed house has killed two teenagers. Figures for the number of injured in Samos now stand at at least 19.
The earthquake occurred at 12:51 PM Swedish time on Friday, about 20 kilometers north of Samos and about 17 kilometers outside Izmir.
Sophie Stigfur and Magnus Wennman on site in Izmir.
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