Destroyed buildings are seen from above in Antakya, southeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.

Hussein Malla/AP

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Hussein Malla/AP

Destroyed buildings are seen from above in Antakya, southeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.

Hussein Malla/AP

Over 20,000 persons are lifeless from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, in response to the Related Press.

The Turkish authorities reported that over 3,000 buildings have collapsed.

Assalah Shikhani, 35, is likely one of the a whole bunch of 1000’s who’ve been left homeless by the earthquakes. She lives together with her two daughters Lilian and Sawsan in southern Turkey.

She fled from the warfare in Syria 12 years in the past and got here to Turkey as a refugee. She’s a instructor at a faculty for different Syrian refugees, funded and run by the Karam Basis, a nonprofit that helps Syrian refugees in Syria, Turkey and the U.S.

Now she and her household have been pressured out of their dwelling once more.

On Thursday, Shikhani spoke with Morning Version’s Leila Fadel from Antakya, Turkey. She stated she had not seen any assist and folks have been nonetheless beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

“No one digs them out, no person. Antakya is a ghost metropolis. Nothing there, no life in any respect.”

Shikhani and her household don’t have any place to remain. The group has 12 ladies and eight youngsters, together with infants. She known as her employer for assist and stated they have been coming to take her to Reyhanli, one other metropolis in Turkey.

The digital highlights have been edited for size and readability.

Interview highlights

On the beginning of the earthquakes

I heard a giant noise, and the quake begins. I put my daughters beneath the desk. Every part fell down on us. So no electrical energy…it is so darkish. I attempt to get my daughters out of the constructing. There’s a small gap. We make all the youngsters exit, one after the other…

And it was heavy, heavy, heavy rain, and chilly. So I take all my daughters, and my brother’s spouse, his youngsters, my dad and my mother to the park. After which went again with my brother to get my two aunts, they’re previous, out of the constructing. We put them on our again and take them out.

After we’re out I do not see the remainder of the household. We do not know the place they’re. With no hijab, with no sneakers, simply with pajamas, I used to be working and shouting with the names of my daughters “The place are you? The place are you?”

I discovered them, lastly, Alhamdulillah [thank God].

Greater than 300 thousand individuals are actually homeless

I’ve a five-year-old and a 14-year-old. We’ll one other place as a result of they kicked us out at present. We flee, we went to the camp. They stated there’s a camp for Antakya individuals. We got here yesterday. And he stated okay, I will provide you with a tent. I stayed two hours within the chilly with my daughters. Then he stated I am so sorry, there is no such thing as a one for you… he let me with my daughters out. I stayed within the automotive yesterday. And at present once more.

‘There is no such thing as a police, no rescue groups’

In Antakya, nothing right here. Nothing. We do not see any individuals. We do not know what occurred. We do not know the information. We do not know the place we now have to go. There is no such thing as a police, no rescue groups. Even for medical points, we do not have facilities. No one tells us what to do.

We stayed two days on this park. Two days.

What the individuals did, they went to the markets. They destroy the doorways and take out the whole lot inside. Simply to eat. We’re pressured to try this.

For a bathroom, there is no such thing as a place. We do it in entrance of one another.

Individuals are surrounded by loss of life

All the youngsters, they’re crying. They want milk. There is no such thing as a milk. No blankets…

We do not have telephones. We do not know what’s occurred. Lots of the youngsters are beneath the bottom. They died. My two uncles’ households died. We now have a girl, she died as a result of a wall fell down on her. She was 23. She had three youngsters. She has died. The hospital is broken. Collapsed. Completely. She died with us within the automotive.

The audio model of the interview with Assalah Shikhani was edited by Olivia Hampton. The digital model was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.