‘I thought I was going to die’: Turkey quake survivors’ ordeal

Al Jazeera speaks to folks pulled from the rubble at a hospital in Osmaniye about how they held on for assist.

Gülhan Vişne (L), 17, a highschool scholar, and her mom Özlem Vişne, 37, who works in a grocery store, at a hospital in Osmaniye, Turkey [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

Osmaniye, Turkey – Rescuers are nonetheless pulling folks alive from the rubble 9 days after earthquakes struck Turkey although lots of the operations throughout the ten affected provinces are largely specializing in recovering our bodies.

At a state hospital in Osmaniye, southern Turkey, some survivors spoke of the horror of being trapped underneath their collapsed properties and even provided a glimpse into what life would possibly maintain for them subsequent.

Gülhan Vişne, 17, highschool scholar

“I didn’t perceive what was occurring at first. I ran for the door to flee the constructing, and that second, our one-storey constructing collapsed on us [Gülhan and her mother, Özlem]. A wardrobe fell and crushed my ankle.

I assumed I used to be going to die, that it was inconceivable to get out. There was little or no house, it was stuffed with mud and actually exhausting to breathe, I’m nonetheless coughing as a result of the mud scratched my lungs.

I may hear my mom shouting, ‘kızım! kızım! [my girl! my girl!] The place are you?’. I used to be additionally shouting however my mom couldn’t hear me as I used to be trapped fairly deep contained in the constructing. I hit a door with a stone to make some noise.

At first, nobody may attain me because the aftershocks had been persevering with, folks had been in shock, and solely my mom tried to assist me. Even along with her damaged ribs, she tried to tug me out of a gap that even a cat couldn’t go by.

Finally, extra family and rescuers got here to assist. There was no gentle, solely the sunshine from my telephone – the rescuers had been shining a flashlight in to make me extra snug as a result of the darkish made me really feel afraid. It felt like years underneath there. I used to be eager about my mom, as a result of she has most cancers and I used to be anxious about her.

They [the rescuers] couldn’t carry the rubble off me, so that they dug a extremely small tunnel however my foot was caught.

I used to be attempting to encourage myself – telling myself, ‘you’ve nearly made it’ – however I handed out three or 4 instances in these hours. However I had no time to panic, I used to be simply attempting to explain the scenario and assist the rescuers – ‘take away that stone, transfer that wardrobe, take out that door’. I used to be attempting to present orders. It was so critical, I couldn’t panic. I used to be the one one who may describe how I used to be caught.

They discovered a noticed to chop the wardrobe to rescue me. I had been underneath there for about 4 hours, I used to be in a lot ache, each time they touched me I used to be in agony.

The police got here and took me to completely different hospitals, however that they had collapsed – perhaps three or 4 hospitals – and at last I made it right here.

My ankle and collarbone are damaged, and I’ve damaged some ribs. They are going to do an operation on my ankle when the swelling goes down as a result of the bone is smashed. They’ll put some plates and screws in. However my telephone didn’t get a scratch [laughs].

The aftershocks nonetheless proceed a number of instances a day. I really feel like an enormous earthquake goes to occur once more, so I’m scared.

We're planning to maneuver to Konya [in central Turkey] after I go away hospital. My father rented us a home there, as a result of right here most locations had been broken.

I used to be born in Kahmaranmaras however grew up in Osmaniye. It is going to be very exhausting to go away. I’m within the final yr of highschool. My household, my pals, they’re right here. My aunt is in Konya and we’re going there as a result of it’s not in an earthquake zone.

I need to go to school and turn into a kindergarten instructor, I really like youngsters.

However all plans are on maintain for the second.”

[Courtesy of Vişne family]

Özlem Vişne, 37, Gülhan’s mom, grocery store employee

“When [the earthquake] occurred, there was a door behind me. I broke the door with a stone and noticed slightly gentle. I dug myself out a bit and shouted to the neighbours, ‘please assist us’, however they had been additionally freaked out. Later, an aftershock shifted some particles and I had the prospect to get out.

I used to be attempting to shout with damaged ribs and discover my daughter. As mother and father, we don’t fear about ourselves, we fear about our children.

The hospital despatched us away with our damaged bones for the primary two days, as a result of it was so chaotic right here. My brother drives a college bus. So we stayed in that, and the aftershocks went on and on [starts crying].

I can’t sleep, although I take drugs. I've a tough time to enter buildings, I often wait outdoors the hospital. After I need to sleep and shut my eyes, I simply hear my daughter’s voice shouting for assist.

There’s nonetheless mud and grime caught in my ear.

Our constructing was a rental property. We solely moved in a number of months in the past and I’d purchased the whole lot new for it with a financial institution mortgage as I’m going by a divorce. We didn’t handle to salvage something and I owe about 20,000 Turkish lire [$1,060].

I work at a grocery store, however I’m additionally being handled for breast most cancers. I've to work to help my youngsters [her son was away in Bursa staying with his father when the quake happened], even then I've no cash. It’s so powerful however it's important to act such as you’re high-quality, and also you attempt to disguise your actual psychological and bodily state.

We didn’t get any psychological help but. And the monetary help from the state shouldn't be sufficient – they'll solely give us 2,000 lire [$106, per month] for rental help – it’s not sufficient.

Politicians simply go by the hospital and say ‘geçmiş olsun [get well soon]’, take a few footage, and go away. They don’t ask how we're. It’s simply to indicate off. They don’t care about us.

We're going to begin once more from zero in Konya. It’s exhausting to dwell as a single girl in Konya [a very conservative city]. I fear about discovering a job, I fear about discovering neighbourhood, I’m so anxious concerning the future.”

Marut Babaoğlu [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

Marut Babaoğlu, 26, automotive mechanic

“I used to be awake when the earthquake occurred, I ran down the steps of the constructing – I used to be on the fifth flooring, there are eight flooring in whole. I reached between the second and third flooring, then the constructing collapsed and I used to be caught underneath rubble within the stairwell. I used to be in an area sufficiently big in order that I may flip and transfer slightly, however my hand was caught. It was pitch darkish.

When aftershocks occurred, it made the steps transfer slightly bit, and I freed my hand. I used to be simply sleeping, waking up, sleeping, that’s all. My head was decrease than my ft, I used to be form of headfirst down the steps, and my ft went numb as a result of all of the blood went to my head.

After greater than three days, I needed to drink my very own urine. I acquired so thirsty that I peed right into a shoe and drank out of that. After some time, my physique stopped accepting the urine, it made me vomit.

Finally, I heard the development machines however I couldn’t hear human voices for some time.

I listened to the machines, the noise acquired louder little by little, and it saved me going. My life went in entrance of me like a film. I thought of all of it.

After I heard voices, I began to whistle. It took 12 hours [from him hearing them] for them to answer me.

From the highest of the collapsed constructing, they made a tunnel to succeed in me and pull me out.

Whereas they had been making the tunnel, they made a line and lowered down some drugs. I felt heavier, so I don’t keep in mind loads after that. I requested for salgam [sour spicy purple carrot juice, popular in the region] and water, however they gave me an IV drip.

Firefighters from Balikesir [a city in northern Turkey] rescued me. They found me within the daytime and labored to rescue me for 9 hours, and once I was rescued it was evening. I used to be saved on the fourth day.

I used to be in intensive care once I opened my eyes. Everybody working there acquired very excited once I opened my eyes. I used to be in shock, however folks had been cheering.

I needed to have an operation on my hand and my elbow was injured, however I don’t have any damaged bones. When my hand acquired caught, blood didn’t attain my fingers, so my motion is restricted, but it surely’s getting higher. I might have physiotherapy, we’ll see.

However after I used to be rescued, I used to be advised my mom, father and brother had died within the wreckage.

In Islam, they're thought-about martyrs – so it offers me some solace that they'll go to heaven.

Mainly, I’m high-quality. The one factor is that I don’t suppose I can dwell in a [similar] constructing once more.

There is no such thing as a want for psychological help. A few guys got here and provided psychological help two days in a row, however I didn’t need to speak.

Now, I don’t have any [definite plan] however I need to go to Balikesir. The rescue group invited me to come back there and work with them. So I’m eager about establishing a brand new life in Balikesir.

[After this experience] I'm nearer to God, materials issues don’t matter, and persons are extra essential to me now. I perceive that loss of life is so shut, as shut as your nostril. It could occur at any time.

[Interviews edited and condensed for clarity.]