Turkey earthquake: Edmontonians collecting donations for victims as death toll tops 23K
Global News
As the earthquake death toll surpasses 23,000, the Turkish Canadian Society has a donation drive this weekend to collect money, medical supplies and winter gear to send to Turkey.
The death toll of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria surpassed 23,000 on Friday as authorities announced the discovery of new bodies, leaving families across the world shattered — including one in Edmonton.
Zeynep Yilmaz is new to the city and found out this week two of her relatives were killed back home, including a younger cousin, when buildings collapsed in Monday’s 7.8 magnitude catastrophe.
“Umat means hope in Turkey. We had hope but we lost it,” Yilmaz said of her cousin.
Family tried to save the child after the first earthquake, Yilmaz said, explaining they could see his leg sticking out of the rubble. But then the second quake happened.
“It was too quick and both earthquakes were too big.”
Yilmaz’s aunt also died after being crushed.
“She saved her son, and she saved her husband and she couldn’t save herself,” she said. “It was so quick, so fast. Just the one second and the whole life is gone.”
Yilmaz said buildings in her city were poorly constructed and it wasn’t a secret.