Türkiye and Syria earthquake documented in “Death Without Mercy”

The massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023 caused catastrophic damage and loss of life – killing more than 55,000 people and leveling vast swaths of cities.

Perhaps most devastating was the knowledge that the destruction did not need to be so severe. Poor construction caused many buildings to collapse and turn into clouds of dust. Inadequate rescue efforts led to the death of many who survived the initial earthquake and aftershocks under the rubble.

The new documentary Death Without Mercy, directed by Oscar-nominated Syrian director Waad Al-Khatib, depicts what happened when the calm was broken at 4:17 a.m. local time on February 6, and the extraordinary scenes of devastation and suffering that followed in the hours and days after. . The film, from MTV Documentary Films, premiered at Sheffield DocFest.

Documentaries “Death Without Mercy” on MTV

“At first, we couldn't really comprehend the scale of the death,” Al-Khatib says. “At that time there was nothing we could do, but we are really trying to do something through documentation.”

Al-Khatib heard the news in London, where she has lived for several years with her husband, Dr. Hamza Al-Khatib, and their two daughters. They were forced to flee Syria during the civil war, a story told in the 2019 documentary For Sama (directed by Al-Khatib and Edward Watts). She and her family visited her parents and sister in southern Türkiye about a month before the disaster; Millions of Syrians have taken refuge there as the war in their country has destroyed one city after another. But on February 6 another tragedy was waiting.

A temporary cemetery for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria MTV Documentary Films

“It's terrible wherever it is [an earthquake] “This happens and no one should have to go through this,” Al-Khatib says. “But for it to happen in that particular region and for there to be devastation and death in Turkey, even more than in Syria — all these people who have been through everything. They have just found safety [in Turkey] Or they are still near the border because they want to come back and have just started a new life, quite simply… it doesn't make sense in any way. How and why.”

After the earthquake, Al-Khatib was able to establish connections with friends Fadi Al-Halabi – the lead cinematographer for the Oscar-winning short documentary “The White Helmets” – and Fouad, who was away from their families in southern Turkey when the earthquake struck.

Fouad (right), his wife Safaa, and their young son who survived the earthquake; Their other young son did not. MTV documentaries

“I called Fouad directly, I called Fadi directly. “I know their families in this area,” Al-Khatib says. “At that time, I was watching what Fouad was filming on his phone on Instagram… I know Hassan.” [Kattan], who is my producer on this film as well. And he was there with him. Every time I called them, I would say, please film, please document. I know you're not in that mood right now, but [it will be important]”.

Death Without Mercy includes their footage, other videos taken by survivors, CCTV footage of the earthquake and aftershocks, and drone footage showing the extent of the damage. Al-Khatib and her husband Hamza, who worked as a doctor in an Aleppo hospital, had witnessed their city reduced to rubble by the forces of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, yet the earthquake produced images that were somewhat difficult to comprehend.

Khatib Director John Phillips/Getty Images for BoF

“I went through all this bombing and shelling, but the scene there was unbelievable,” she says. “In one moment, we saw what the city was like [Antakya, Turkey] It turned into something like five years of war in Aleppo. “It was very shocking.”

Rescuers tried their best to remove the debris from the survivors. A few of them were pulled to safety. The voices of others trapped in collapsed buildings could be heard calling for help, but an uncoordinated government response and lack of heavy equipment to move piles of concrete slabs were doomed to failure.

“The UN’s reaction was not good, and the Turkish government’s reaction was not good,” Al-Khatib says. “People with [missing] Their loved ones were not treated with dignity. “It was terrible.”

A luxury high-rise building in Antakya, Türkiye, fell on its back in the earthquake. MTV documentaries

A luxury high-rise building fell on its back, killing hundreds of people. It did not take long to realize that many of the buildings that collapsed were improperly constructed. In the film, survivors examine the clay soil on which some of the structures were erected; The buildings were not connected to the foundation, and a 7.8-magnitude earthquake (and an aftershock of roughly the same magnitude) shook them in seconds.

Investigations will show widespread zoning violations occurred. For example, an additional 10 floors may be added to the building, no more than two or three floors in height.

“This has been a systematic type of failure and corruption over the years, which we also tried to highlight in the film,” Al-Khatib says. “It's not a mistake, it's a whole system of corruption and irresponsibility.”

“Death Without Mercy” shows a television ad that aired in Turkey sometime before the earthquake, which cheerfully told people they could get an amnesty for their improperly built or zoned buildings if they came forward. “In the ad, the government invites contractors and people to register their faulty building codes and pay a fine without actually correcting them,” Al-Khatib explains. “If they come and sign up, that's OK.”

A man holds the loose clay soil on which the building was constructed. MTV documentaries

Can there be full accountability for such a terrible loss of life? What would accountability look like?

“There's a lawyer in the movie who says something about they can rebuild and they can give people compensation for that…but will that bring people back? Will this make the pain that everyone went through go away?” Al-Khatib asks. “I don't think there's anything that can truly equal justice. That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep fighting and trying to bring these people in.” [to] Accountability… But even for Fouad and Fadi, Fadi lost his entire family, 13 members of his family. What could happen to him to make him feel okay? There is no way. But at least maybe we could make this pain a little less painful if we knew that the people responsible for this were being held accountable – not just the construction workers or the people who actually worked. [construction]. It's the whole system, it's the whole government. “Everyone is responsible.”

On the whole, people in the West paid little attention to the earthquake. Death Without Mercy, which will begin streaming on Paramount+ later this year, brings home the truth of what happened for viewers who either never realized or simply forgot.

Documentaries “Death Without Mercy” on MTV

“The world has evolved,” Al-Khatib says, adding that those affected by the disaster cannot forget, even if they hope to. “Even me, I didn't lose anyone in the earthquake, but I know these people, and they mean a lot to me, and it could be my parents who were there or my sister. So we don't want to move on. We want people to come and sit down and take this back and understand it and try to do something.” For the rest of these people.

There is a strong possibility of another disaster. Al-Khatib insists that “talk about the earthquake in Türkiye in particular has not ended yet.” “They're talking about [the potential for] A much larger one is in Istanbul, where Fuad now lives, for example, because he cannot return to Antakya. So, nothing happened and we had to move on and find our new life. This could happen again. There may be another disaster around the world. It is our responsibility whether we like it or not. We all have to do something about it.”

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://deadline.com/2024/06/death-without-mercy-turkey-syria-earthquake-documentary-director-waad-al-kateab-interview-1235980088/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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