Anger as Turkey marks anniversary of devastating earthquake
Al Jazeera
One year on from disaster, mourning mixes with frustration over authorities’ response.
Crowds have gathered across Turkey to mark the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the country, with many people expressing anger over the authorities’ response to the disaster.
In Antakya, capital of Hatay, the worst affected of the 11 southern provinces hit by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on February 6, 2023, crowds jostled with police, calling on city mayor Lutfu Savas to resign and booing Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.
The tremor and its aftershocks left towns and cities in ruins and killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and 5,900 in Syria. Locals say the delayed response of the authorities meant that many were left to die, trapped for days under the rubble, in the freezing cold.
People chanted “Can anyone hear me?” – echoing the voices of those who lost their lives while waiting for help.
“We won’t forget, we won’t forgive,” the crowd declared.
