On day four after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, hope for saving lives is not lost. Millions of people have been affected by the disaster. Thousands are being accommodated in temporary housing and tents, living in fear of another earthquake. Rescue work continues around the clock, stopping only for minutes when a cry for help is heard from under rubble. Relatives of the trapped also stand day and night next to collapsed buildings hoping to embrace their loved ones again. Hope is sometimes justified, but in some places help fails to reach the victims in time.

According to Mümün Topçu, who returned from Adana just hours ago, the problem is because of the vastness of the affected territory. He recalled that Bulgaria had been among the first countries to provide aid, and this was a source of pride for Bulgarian emigrants there."The tragedy is appalling. Aid cannot be delivered immediately - we are talking about a territory larger than Bulgaria. A population of 15 million is affected. Roads and transport corridors have been destroyed. There was no way we could have been prepared for such a tragedy. Turkey is coping - new buildings will be built in place of the destroyed ones, but unfortunately the death toll continues to rise. 

Indeed, Turkey has not been abandoned. Aid groups and relief workers are arriving from all over the world. It is gratifying that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to respond and send rescue teams. Our expatriates in Turkey were elated by this fact. The Bulgarian diaspora lives mainly in the western regions of Turkey - Istanbul, the Thracian part of the country, Izmir, Ankara and around the Bursa area. In the earthquake-affected areas there are expatriates from Bulgaria who are temporarily working there - teachers, medics, physicians. News has already started coming in that there are also expatriates from Bulgaria among the dead," Mümün Topçu told BNR.There is not a single person in the quake area who has not lost a loved one, Assoc. Prof. İlker Çöltü from Adana told BNR. "We receive many reports of dead and injured students and teachers. The grief is great. It is everywhere," Mr. Çöltü, a professor of German at Çukurova University, said. - All classes have been suspended until February 20.”The city of Adana was hit hard by the devastating quake. Here is what the professor told Sevda Dükkancı of Radio Bulgaria's Turkish desk: "Our city is divided into Old Town and New Town. In the old parts the houses are low-rise, in the new neighbourhoods there are 20, even 30-storey buildings. The earthquakes affected those high-rise buildings. The houses in the Old Town are intact."

The earthquake-resistance standards have been met, but 15-20 storey buildings have been built on a small area. In our opinion, the ground has not been able to bear this weight, explained İlker Çöltü.

"Our home has not suffered much, but there are cracks and we are afraid to go back. The municipality is currently organising inspections, risk assessments on the buildings. We are waiting for them to tell us when we will be able to go home," Denica Yibyukyujju from Gaziantep told BNR, thanking God that they have physically survived."Many are sleeping in their cars,," says Denica as a direct observer. - There are also tent camps. Many public buildings are open - mosques, schools, gyms - and there are crowds of people there. Food and water deliveries have been organised, but is there enough for everyone? The media are showing such terrible things, yet I hope everyone is OK."Panic is being induced and there is a lot of misinformation, she added, saying that many people received a message that another big earthquake was coming, which later turned out to be a lie spread by a young man. The aftershocks continue. Local hospitals need heaters and blankets, Denica said.

"The weather is very cold and the people who are left without anything, whose buildings are completely destroyed, are the ones who are most in need. So any help is welcome. I want to thank all Bulgarians and not only - the whole world has stepped up to help. This is how it should be, we are human and we should help each other. Thank you all!"

Bulgarian News agenvy (BTA) correspondent Nora Cholakova witnessed the devastating aftermath of the February 6 earthquake in the Turkish town of Pazarcık: "The situation is very grave, she says - many buildings have been completely destroyed. When I arrived in the city the temperatures were freezing, 8-10 degrees below zero. Many people are sleeping in tent camps, others are sleeping directly under the stars on the freezing February nights. Rescue teams are intensifying their work, but there is no information about a huge number of people. Yesterday I saw the terrible situation in the town of Nurdağı, which has been completely flattened. There is no electricity, no water in these affected places, the hotels are practically not accepting guests as they are high and there are concerns of new earthquakes."

Silistra-born writer Ramis Çınarsays the natural disaster has displaced the burning issue of the presidential election.

Compiled by. E. Karkalanova /based on interviews and reports by Veselina Milanova, BNR-Horizon, Nahit Dogu, BNR-Kardzhali, Sevda Dükkancı, Radio Bulgaria/

Photos: EPA/BGNES