Turkish dad living in Wolverhampton reveals terror of earthquake disaster which claimed lives of his loved ones
A Turkish dad living in Wolverhampton has spoken of the terror and devastation caused by the earthquake disaster in his home country after losing members of his family.
Sefik Basli lost an uncle and an aunt in the disaster in Turkey and Syria that has so far claimed more than 41,000 lives.
His family live in Adiyaman which is one of 10 provinces in the south east of Turkey declared in a three-month state of emergency by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The apartment block where Sefik’s two brothers and their families lived collapsed following the two earthquakes to hit the region, leaving his siblings, 43 and 48, and their families, including his parents, homeless.
His uncle and aunt living nearby lost their lives.
The rest of Sefik’s family spent two days outside in the freezing cold, with only a fire they had lit to keep warm.
Eventually, all 13 members of the family spanning three generations walked to a nearby village and found a house with a roof and have stayed there since, and in a tent outside.
“They were sleeping when the first earthquake struck at 4.17am,” said Sefik, 37, who lives with wife Mukerrem, 30, a nurse at New Cross Hospital, and their three-year-old son in Chapel Ash.
“They were so scared and panicked at the time – at first they couldn’t find the children, then thankfully they realised they had survived.
“But then the whole family spent two days outside in the freezing cold and they had to light a fire to stay warm – they had no shelter.
"I have offered to go back to Turkey to help but my family have told me there is nowhere for me to stay.”
Thankfully, aid has now reached the region and Sefik’s family have received blankets and food.
Pakize Durmaz, who is a matron on the diabetes and renal ward at New Cross Hospital, has helped share Sefik's story.
She came to the UK from Turkey 20 years ago and has been at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust for 15 years.
One of four Turkish nurses at the trust, Pakize is the only Turkish matron in the NHS and is seen as a nursing leader among Turkish healthcare workers in the UK.
Pakize regularly shares updates on the work of British rescue teams in the earthquake-hit region on Instagram, as well as the efforts of nurses saving lives there.
She has been offering emotional support to nurses there dealing with patients from the disaster.
Her own family live an eight-hour drive away in central Turkey and are safe.
“Nurses have sent me footage of them putting their own lives at risk by wheeling patients out and moving babies to safety from a neonatal unit, which I have posted,” said Pakize, who is universally known as ‘Nicky’ around New Cross Hospital.
“It’s like it was in Covid – healthcare workers are exhausted from the extraordinary effort of long hours of putting others’ lives before their own.
"I’m doing the best I can to support them. Everyone is deeply upset about the earthquakes.
“We are very grateful for all the help we have received from the UK and all over the world. It hurts – when something like this happens, as a nurse you want to help people and try to save lives; I’d like to volunteer but I realise we can’t do much. I feel helpless.”
Organisations offering help include Ummah Welfare Trust, Red Cross, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Muslim Aid and Action Aid.
