A B.C. woman who lost family members in the earthquake turkey Said she is turning her grief into action.
Nural Sumbultepe said he received the terrible news that six members of his family were killed in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in his hometown of Iskenderun, Turkey.
“I basically lost half of my family in this earthquake,” Sumbultepe said. “I lost six members of my original family.”
A brother, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, a nephew, his wife, and their infant son were all lost to Sumbultep.
“They were all in the same building, and they passed away. It was a very tall building, probably one of the tallest building in Iskenderun,” she told Global News.
In the depths of her grief, Sumbultepe feels compelled to share her story to bring aid and attention to the hardest-hit areas, something she says will continue to be needed in the years to come.
“There are many bodies under the debris. And their loved ones will not rest in peace until their bodies are found and buried. And after that, there’s a lot more work to be done,” Sumbultepe said.
That’s why Sumbultepe plans to leave Vancouver for Turkey when it’s safe to do so.
“It’s too late for my family, that’s for sure. But I want to do something for the region.
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Other BC residents have banded together in a warehouse in Vancouver. They have gathered thousands of pounds of supplies to send back to Turkey for help.
The residents of the group created an Instagram account @helpturkeyvancouver and contacted Taylan Tokmak, the Consulate General of Turkey in Vancouver, to get things started.
“The Turkish people in Vancouver mobilized very quickly,” he said.
“In one day they collected about a ton of supplies. Globally, we are trying to coordinate our efforts and all the embassies to see what is needed now and what is needed in the long term. We have to focus on keeping the survivors alive.
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