Antakya in Turkey turns into a ghost town after the third earthquake

Trucks, emergency vehicles and excavators lined the deserted streets of Antakya, Turkey, on Tuesday night, after the third major earthquake in two weeks accelerated an exodus from the once vibrant city.

On pitch-black streets, passing headlights revealed piles of rubble, broken window frames, and tangled reinforcing bars.

The bright red and blue lights of military and police vehicles were reflected off the jagged facades of the leaning buildings.

Some people who lost their homes in the earthquake are living in tents (Reuters: Claudag Kilkoen)

The sounds of excavators scattering debris echoed through the streets as police, soldiers and disaster responders looked on, huddled around small fires dotting cracked footpaths.

Occasionally, the dig stops for emergency workers to search for possible bodies.

“Everyone is gone,” said Mehmet Ay, a 50-year-old earthquake survivor who has lived in Antakya all his life, one of the few residents left.

They died or fled.”

Antakya’s skyline was changed forever by the earthquake (Reuters: Clauda Kilkoen)

In the distance, a sharp cityscape of what were once tall buildings now appeared.

Parts of the riverbanks collapsed into the water, while soldiers blocked damaged bridges.

Billboards were smashed to the ground and banners strewn among the ruins stood as reminders of the shops that once filled the busy streets.

“Our streets were heaven,” Ay said. In one night, everything was destroyed.

Ai was sheltering with his wife Fatima and their daughter in a camp set up to provide temporary shelter for those who had lost their homes.

People wait as emergency workers search through the rubble in Antakya (Reuters: Claudag Kilkoen)

A generator blared above the chatter of people gathered around wood-burning stoves outside their tents.

“We can’t leave the camp,” he said.

“It’s hard to walk around because it’s dangerous anywhere you go. Buildings are dangerous. Before you know it, a structure could collapse on you.”

Earlier, as the sun set over a square next to City Hall, soldiers, volunteers, and survivors lined up at food trucks and service stations for dinner and tea.

Some residents vowed to stay in Antakya despite the widespread destruction (Reuters: Claudag Kilkoen)

At the roundabout, there was still a statue of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on a rearing horse.

Just below, a marble plaque with his famous quote about Hatay province becoming part of Turkey smashed onto the floor.

“Disaster has befallen us all,” said Salim Fawakerji, a 57-year-old dishwasher who has lived in Antakya for 12 years after fleeing Syria.

And his wife, Walaa, added: “The rich and the poor alike.”

The couple, their two daughters and a son survived the February 6 earthquake by crawling out of a small crack in the rubble.

Their eldest son did not survive.

Survivors say it will take a long time to rebuild the city (Reuters: Clauda Kilkoen)

Fwakerjee said the family has no plans to leave the deserted city.

“Look how God gave us another life except for my son. Why take the risk now?” He said.

Ai also said that he intends to stay.

“It will take a long time, years – but we will rebuild it,” said the builder.

“God willing, it will be better than it was.”

Reuters

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