‘Life is over’: A newspaper’s death near Turkey quake epicentre

In a metropolis with greater than 450 deaths, a newspaper’s final version bears testimony to life earlier than it was without end upended.

Suat Yenipınar holds up the final version of his newspaper, revealed on the Friday earlier than the earthquakes, in Pazarcık, Turkey, on February 16, 2023 [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

Pazarcık, Turkey — Suat Yenipınar was in his fifth-floor condominium together with his grandson, when final week’s earthquake woke him up.

“When the earthquake occurred I grabbed him and tried to flee the constructing, however we hit the partitions and fell over, so I simply lined him with my physique to guard him if the constructing collapsed,” the 60-year-old native journalist recalled. ” After the quake was over, we acquired out immediately – items had been falling off the constructing.”

Yenipınar resides in a tent now subsequent to a Crimson Crescent cell kitchen, on this city, near epicentre of the earthquake.

Suat Yenipınar [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

Greater than 450 individuals have died in Pazarcık, which had about 28,000 individuals residing there on the time. It has an official inhabitants of about 68,000 individuals however many residents work overseas, particularly in Germany. Now there are solely between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals left, in response to estimates of locals.

The earthquake has additionally killed one thing else: a neighborhood newspaper that Yenipınar revealed from an workplace within the constructing, which is now badly broken.

Titled Aksu Haber Gazetesi, the newspaper’s final version ran on February 3, the Friday earlier than the earthquakes which have to this point killed greater than 41,000 individuals in Turkey and northwest Syria. It now stands as a reminder of a time frozen in eternity – the previous couple of days earlier than the town was decimated.

“Life in Pazarcık is over after the earthquake, all of the buildings should be demolished,” he stated.

The broken workplace of Suat Yenipınar’s newspaper in Pazarcık, Turkey, seen right here on February 16, 2023 [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

He stated he stays appreciative of the federal government. “Thank God to the federal government, they gave us greater than we deserve,” Yenipınar stated.

On the similar time, he criticised the authorities. He stated that he'll transfer to a different metropolis when he can as a result of he has no religion that Pazarcık might be rebuilt.

“I don’t belief politicians, at the moment they are saying one factor, tomorrow one other,” Yenipınar stated. “I don’t see it being totally rebuilt. The cash collected yesterday — let’s wait and see how a lot of that's wasted.” TV fundraising pulled in additional than $6bn on Wednesday.

His condominium partitions are cracked, and particles is piled on what was his furnishings.

Simply throughout the road from his condominium block is rubble — all that continues to be of a constructing that collapsed, killing two of Yenipınar’s pals.

Ahmet Efe, 36, is an earthquake survivor from Pazarcık [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]

‘Shaken like yoghurt’

But amid the devastation, house and camaraderie survive.

Ahmet Efe’s home was broken badly and he's staying in a container home donated by an Istanbul-based well being firm. The 36-year-old helps different survivors by delivering photo voltaic panel chargers.

“A man from Kayseri [a central Turkish city] designed it and a number of other firms are working collectively to provide them,” he stated of the chargers. “The lightbulb offers mild all night time, and you'll cost a telephone by connecting the USB port to a 12-volt plug.”

Efe stated that the earthquake was so robust he couldn't even shout something when it occurred.

“You recognize ayran [a yoghurt drink]. Earlier than consuming it you need to shake it. It was like that – being shaken up and down, facet to facet – for 2 minutes,” he stated. “At the moment, I couldn’t do something, I wished to shout to my spouse however couldn’t.”

In contrast to Yenipınar, Efe wasn’t keen to surrender on Pazarcık.

“Proper now we've no clue what’s going to occur,” he stated. “However we will simply rebuild – there may be cash right here, we will do it.”

Reporting by Patrick Keddie in Pazarcık, Turkey