LATEST: Syrian survivor recalls devastating Turkey earthquake one year on
A Syrian father said his family prayed for their lives to be spared when February's deadly earthquake struck.
Mohammed Jaafar, 45, said the ground shook and walls collapsed around them in their apartment block in Antakya, Turkey, as they sought safety.
Mr Jaafar, who has two children aged 7 and 5, said he is haunted by the harrowing ordeal six months on.
“We were all sleeping in one room when suddenly the ground started shaking violently. In a minute, the walls collapsed, and it was darkness,” Mr Jaafar said.
We are all affected mentally after what we have seen
Mohammed Jaafar
He said the family clutched each other tightly, praying they would survive.
“We had minor earthquakes before, and we thought this one was similar. But this one felt like the end of the world.”
As buildings crumbled around them, he led his wife and children outside of their ground-floor home in the 11-storey building to seek help.
They found the natural disaster had left behind a trail of destruction.
“Luckily my car was untouched, and we had no injuries. We slept in the car for three days as the building was affected and it was not safe to return to the apartment,” said Mr Jaafar.
“People were under the debris, and we did not know what to do or where to go. It was a scene from Judgment Day.”
He said that his brother, sister, and other family members were living in Gaziantep – a Turkish city hit hard by the quake – but all were safe.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck near the Turkey-Syria border in the early hours of Monday, February 6.
It was soon followed by a second earthquake of similar strength, with a series of aftershocks adding to the destruction.
More than 58,000 people were killed in both countries, with many more injured. Thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving survivors at the mercy of harsh winter conditions.
Family given vital support
Mr Jaafar said he and his family were moved to a temporary shelter.
“The care and support we received from the medical staff, the Turkish government and volunteers was overwhelming. It reminded us of the kindness of strangers,” he said.
One month later, he rented a home in Gaziantep.
“I went a couple of times to my old apartment and the scene was still catastrophic. I managed to collect my passport and some valuables left behind,” he said.
“Individuals, businessmen, and support agencies provided meals and support to people who were affected by the disaster. It was a great moment of unity.”
He said his family were initially given rent support by the government, but prices had now risen because of high demand.
As Turkey continues a slow rebuilding process, the mental scars of the millions affected remain.
“We are all affected mentally after what we have seen, and we need mental support, too. The government is doing its best to recover but there will be some financial difficulties in the long run,” he said.
He said work is still being carried out to estimate the damage to the building he once called home, but he fears it may have to be demolished.
How to help
People in the UAE can provide financial assistance to those in need by using the website of Emirates Red Crescent, the humanitarian arm of the government, as part of the Bridges of Giving campaign.
People have the option to donate to relief efforts in Syria and Turkey by PayPal, credit card, bank transfer or by text message.
Once donations have been received, an invoice from Emirates Red Crescent will confirm your contribution.
People can donate to Syria relief here and to Turkey relief here.
The UN offers a wide variety of ways to support millions of people who have been affected.
These include UN Crisis Relief, which supports humanitarian efforts, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency and Unicef.
For more information on how to donate to the various UN-led projects, visit here.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
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Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
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