As the death toll rises to over 41,000 in Turkey, earthquake survivors mourn the loss of loved ones in Adıyaman (Semsûr), where the death toll could not be determined clearly after the 6 February earthquakes caused great destruction and loss of life in ten provinces in southeast Turkey.
In Adıyaman, one of the cities that suffered mass destruction in the earthquake, 485 buildings have collapsed, while 4,085 buildings are heavily damaged. In the city, where search and rescue efforts were reported to have started late, more than 11,000 citizens died and tens of thousands were injured according to unofficial data, Mezopotamya Agency (MA) reported.
The number of people who lost their lives due to the undeclared burials cannot be determined clearly, but according to the information MA obtained from employees of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs; 7,500 bodies were buried in a single cemetery in the city centre. Burials are done collectively.
Although 15 days have passed since the disaster, earthquake victims in Adıyaman still face many difficulties, primarily the lack of shelter. Survivors from Adıyaman state that the loss of life was due to negligence and late intervention, stating that some villages still do not receive aid.
