While the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey is approaching 30,000, attention is focused not only on the fact that no casualties have occurred, but there are areas where not a single building has collapsed.
On the 11th (local time), local media, including Business Turkey, focused on Erzin, the only city in Turkiye hit by 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes on the 6th, where no one was harmed.
Erzin, with a population of 42,000, is a city in Hatay State that suffered the most among the 10 provinces affected by the earthquake, and the reason why there were no casualties is of particular interest.
Of the more than 20,000 people killed in Turkiye, more than 3,000 people died in Hatay State alone, and numerous buildings collapsed and suffered great damage.
◇ Strong policy of “no illegal construction”, protect residents’ safety
The secret to protecting the residents from the earthquake was the determination of Mayor Erzin, who did not allow illegal construction.
In Erzin, “there was no loss of life,” Mayor Ökes Elmasoglu said confidently, “We did not allow illegal construction.”
“Due to the earthquake, there were no deaths or injuries in Erzin, and there was no debris as the building did not collapse,” he said.
Mayor Elmasoglu, who lived in a detached house, recalled the moment the earthquake struck, saying that the house shook very badly when the earthquake occurred, and rushed to the door with the children and waited for the earthquake to end.
He reiterated that he did not allow illegal construction, and that he had never allowed illegal construction in any way.
◇ “Are you the only one who is honest?” Adhere to a firm policy despite criticism
The area marked with an arrow is the Erzin region in southeastern Turkey. (Capture from Google Map) Some said that there were many voices of criticism towards himself for firmly disapproving of illegal construction, saying, “Is there no one honest in this country except you?”
However, as a result of not giving in and firmly not allowing illegal construction, the residents were able to be saved from the disaster of this earthquake.
As architecture and related policies are directly related to the safety of residents, he emphasized that he tried not to intervene in politics.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the earthquake exceeded 33,000 on the 12th. The United Nations warns that the final death toll could at least double this number.
AFP and others reported that the death toll from the strong earthquake that occurred on the 6th increased to 29,605 in Turkiye and 3,574 in Syria, bringing the total to 33,179.
The current golden time of 72 hours has passed, but desperate rescue operations are continuing in the field with the slightest hope of saving even one more survivor.
(Seoul-Antakya (Turkey) = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.