Turkey earthquake disaster: 'My mother cried so much she had to go to hospital' says chairman of Northern Ireland Turksih Association

By Philip Bradfield
Published 13th Feb 2023, 18:22 BST
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A Turkish engineer in Northern Ireland says his mother back home was hospitalised because she cried so much about the earthquake which has devastated his home country.

The quake and hundreds of aftershocks in south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February killed more than 35,000 people so far and caused £69.3bn damage.

Thousands have been left homeless while experts say that the window for rescuing people from collapsed buildings is now almost closed.

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Dr Bulent Tepe, 54, is a facilities manager for Caterpillar and lives in Newtownabbey with his wife and three children.

Dr Bulent Tepe, chairman of the NI Turkish Association, with aid gathered in NI to help those caught up in the earthquakes in his home country.Dr Bulent Tepe, chairman of the NI Turkish Association, with aid gathered in NI to help those caught up in the earthquakes in his home country.
Dr Bulent Tepe, chairman of the NI Turkish Association, with aid gathered in NI to help those caught up in the earthquakes in his home country.

He came to NI as a student 24 years ago and earned a Phd in engineering at QUB.

His family back home lives in Istanbul in the north and do not personally know anyone directly affected.

"However the news is running 24/7 in Turkey and you are seeing all these crying orphans,” he said. “It's just devastating whether you are from that area or not.

"My mother cried so much that she was taken to hospital."

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Just some of the aid gathered in Northern Ireland which has already been sent to Turkey.Just some of the aid gathered in Northern Ireland which has already been sent to Turkey.
Just some of the aid gathered in Northern Ireland which has already been sent to Turkey.

She was kept overnight and treated for high blood pressure and partial hearing loss due to stress.

Refye, 78, is now back at home with his father, Muzaffer, 86. However the family have urged her not to watch the rolling coverage of the devastation.

He fears the death toll may climb to 100,000 in due course.

As chairperson of the NI Turkish Association he contacted the Turkish embassy in Dublin which asked for clothing for children and adults, nappies, sanitary products and sleeping bags.

Bulent made an appeal through the Turkish community in NI who were then also supported by the wider community here. As a result they have delivered a large van and two car loads of aid to Dublin.

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"It has been just amazing, the Northern Irish people are so generous."

He added: "This is not going to be solved tomorrow but is going to take years. People have just lost everything - their houses and their jobs - and they are so traumatised. The Turkish economy is not strong enough to cope. We need help from all across the world."

He is no longer collecting materials to send but is urging people to make donations via the Red Crescent or Turkey's Disaster Management Authority (AFAD).

Related topics:TurkeyPeopleNorthern Ireland