Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Strahil Popov from Istanbul: The situation in Hatay is really tragic

Strahil Popov (left) playing for Hatayspor
Photo: Archive

Ümraniyespor defender Strahil Popov is one of the two Bulgarian footballers who play in the Turkish football championship. Until December 2021, he was part of the Hatayspor team based in the city of Antakya, Hatay province. The Hatay province has been the hardest hit by the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey yesterday. The victims so far reportedly exceed 5,000.

The Bulgarian footballer tells the Bulgarian news agency BTA how he feels and what people in the country are going through.

"I'm fine, I live in Istanbul. Everything is normal here, but in Hatay it's a real tragedy. I personally have never seen and never imagined such a tragedy. I don't know if other people have seen such a thing," admitted Strahil Popov.

"I played for two years in Hatayspor, so I have a lot of acquaintances and friends there. Fortunately, none of my friends there, teammates, relatives and acquaintances have been injured. I talked a lot with the translator of the team, with whom I am in contact. He told me that his apartment is unusable - walls, floor - everything has huge cracks," adds the 32-year-old footballer.

According the media reports, the city of Antakya has been almost half destroyed. The Bulgarian footballer with the most serious experience in the Turkish championship adds: 

"There are two big problems. The first is that there are not enough rescuers and there are not enough teams to pull people out from the rubble. The territory is huge, and the number of rescuers is insufficient. The second problem is that only one of the hospitals in the city remained unharmed and is working at full capacity. The rest of the medical facilities are either unable to receive people, or they work with extremely limited options. This makes the situation downright tragic for such a large city and region. A real apocalypse, a great disaster."

Residents in the Hatay province warm themselves by an open fire. The region is among the most hard hit areas in the devastating earthquake.
"I'm sure there will be charity campaigns to help the victims, but essential goods are still being sought. Aid will be collected, there is no doubt", Popov said.
Yesterday's matches from the Turkish football championship were cancelled, including Ümraniyespor with Strahil Popov against Adana Demirspor.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Aaron Willem

Bulgaria in a Special Corner of the Library in Brussels’ Schaerbeek District

In the Schaarbeek municipality of Brussels, there is a small corner of Bulgaria inside the Sophia Municipal Library, housing a valuable collection of Bulgarian books. Librarian Aaron Willem played a key role in setting up the Bulgarian section of the..

published on 4/23/25 1:26 PM
Pope Francis in Bulgaria in 2019

Catholics in Bulgaria fondly remember their meeting with Francis – the Pope of peace and mercy

Shepherd of the soul, priest of all with open hearts, modern prophet – these are some of the definitions with which Pope Francis remains in the memory of people regardless of affiliation and faith. In 2019, he visited Bulgaria,..

published on 4/22/25 4:30 PM

Dr. Spas Tashev presents a new study on the Bulgarian diasporas in Albania and Kosovo

"The socio-political processes among the Bulgarian communities in Albania and Kosovo from the early 19th century to the present, and the influence they have on the demographic development and territorial distribution of our compatriots in these..

published on 4/22/25 2:59 PM