Quake survivors depart from Hatay for Eid holiday

HATAY

Earthquake survivors are seen departing from the bus terminal in the southern province of Hatay, the city most harshly affected by the Feb. 6 quakes, to the coastal cities for to the Eid holiday.

Volunteer citizens who came to the city to help after the earthquakes as well as quake survivors filled the bus terminal to start their Eid holiday.

It was seen that some transportation companies had to move their offices outside of Antakya Bus Terminal as the ceilings had collapsed and the offices were severely damaged in the quakes.

The companies’ officials, who had to carry out their jobs outside the terminal, demanded the terminal to be renovated as soon as possible.

It was learned that earthquake survivors who bought their tickets amongst the ruins and debris are mostly traveling to coastal cities and Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the western province of Izmir.

Ercan Bal, one of the coach drivers of a private transportation company, said that although the terminal is in ruins and its facilities are unusable, the terminal management still takes exit fees from the companies.

“Earthquake victims are leaving Hatay. Those who do not have a place to stay are mostly traveling to Mersin, Antalya and Istanbul,” Bal said.

Stressing that the authorities came and inspected the condition of the terminal about ten days ago, Bal said that there is no progress regarding the renovation works so far.

Cafer Aydın, another coach driver, said that their workload and the number of trips has greatly increased especially after the quakes, as there is almost no place left to stay in Hatay.

Aydın stated that phone lines and internet connections are problematic around the region as well, which puts companies in a much more difficult situation.

Samet Sözcü, who stated that he came to quake-hit Hatay voluntarily as an emergency medicine assistant, said that their friend group have completed their 15-day duty in Hatay, and they are trying to return to their cities among the rubble of the bus terminal.

Meanwhile, in Hatay’s Antakya district, where thousands of other workplaces were destroyed in the earthquakes, while debris removal works continue on the one hand, the remaining shopkeepers who did not leave the city and are able to open their stores in the historical Uzun Bazaar, are entering the Ramadan Feast in a somber mood, longing for the old pre-quake days while welcoming their few customers.