"Crown" in Turkey

Surviving on the red line after the earthquake disaster

Thousands of people have died or lost their livelihoods.(Bild: AFP/Ozan KOSE)

Last year, Turkey was hit by an earthquake of the century. What happens after the disaster? A "Krone" search for clues among people in the container cities.

People run into the streets in panic, children cry. One and a half years after the devastating disaster, this shaking could be felt again last Wednesday during the "Krone" site visit with the Red Cross in south-eastern Turkey.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake, this time nothing happened. But it brings back bad memories of February 6, 2023.

A life on 21 square meters
The danger at the red earthquake line remains. And tens of thousands of people are still housed in containers, such as in the Airport Container City in Kahramanmaraş. There are 6500 people housed here. The 21 square meters of living space are divided into two rooms.

The earthquake of the century

• On February 6, 2023, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 occurred in south-eastern Turkey and north-western Syria - followed by another with a magnitude of 7.5 on the same day.
• There were 62,013 fatalities and 125,000 injured. Eleven Turkish provinces were affected, including Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep and Hatay.
• The Red Cross and Red Crescent reached 1.2 million people with tents and containers. And around 1.7 million received food.
• Turkey is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. This is where the Arabian, Eurasian and African plates meet.
• On October 16, 2024, another quake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred in Malatya, which had already been severely affected in 2023. There are no reports of casualties.

Sermin (38) also lives in a home like this, next to the airport, where she used to be a security guard. The mother of three is happy that her husband has finally found a job in an electronics store. "After the earthquake, I stopped dreaming," she says tearfully. Her greatest wish: that the children will be better off one day!

An employee from the Red Crescent is just passing by. Sermin's six-year-old daughter Ahsen hugs the young woman tightly. Berfin (25) is a social worker and helped the girl to get therapy because she no longer wanted to speak.

Little Aysen is happy about the social worker's visit.(Bild: Münzer)

Kübra in her mini kitchen(Bild: Münzer)

Meanwhile, neighbor Kübra (28) is making tea in the small kitchen; her husband worked in road construction before the disaster. He had to be rescued from the rubble and has been on crutches ever since. The 28-year-old would like her husband to be able to work again, he is undergoing rehabilitation. She herself was only in hospital for a short time and was then nursed back to health by a stranger's family. These people traveled to the disaster area especially to offer their help.

There is even a school and group work for children and adults in the container city. Buglem and Talha, both 10 years old, draw scenes on their worksheet that have to do with violence. It's about bullying.

The rubble has been cleared. Today, new apartments are being built here.(Bild: Münzer)

Ten-year-old children on a course against bullying(Bild: Münzer)

Government lends a helping hand
The Erdoğan government is pumping a lot of money into reconstruction. Elmas, for example, has a crockery store; the 38-year-old received start-up capital from the Red Crescent. "Before, we had dreams, but they were buried in the rubble. But things are looking up again," she says confidently.

28-year-old Burak is also grateful for the second chance. He received 1400 euros from the Red Crescent's "cash support" and runs a store selling cleaning products. The newlywed can also look forward to a condominium provided by the state - he will have to pay it off later.