Beyza, 52, a primary school art teacher, ran into four of her pupils in the playground next to her building on February 5.
“They were very excited to see me, they told me they had prepared a surprise for my birthday the next day,” she said.
“We are neighbours, I live in the building just behind them. I would see them often, I was their favourite teacher,” she added.
Little did she know, it would be the last time she saw them.
A few hours later, a powerful earthquake shook Turkey and Syria, claiming the lives of more than 44,000 people and completely shattering the 14-storey building where Beyza’s pupils used to live.
All 92 of its residents died, including her pupils.
A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images
A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo
A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images
Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP
Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo
Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo
A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria’s Aleppo province. AFP
A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP
A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP
A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP
Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters
A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters
A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP
Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP
Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP
A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP
Destruction in Antakya. AP
A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP
A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA
Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP
A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP
Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP
Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters
A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters
Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP
Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA
An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
Britain’s King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP
People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters
Destroyed buildings in Syria’s rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP
Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters
A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP
Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National
A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo
A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo
Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters
A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP
Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters
Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
“They were still teenagers, they had their whole life in front of them, they could have lived if the building had met the safety regulations,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
The building was one of the few that collapsed in Adana, a city in the southern central region of Turkey and relatively spared by the disaster.
The contractor who built the structure is among dozens of people detained in a government crackdown on those allegedly involved in faulty construction practices.
Turkish authorities said that they have issued more than 100 arrest warrants in relation to quake-damaged buildings. More than 41,500 buildings collapsed or were damaged enough to be demolished, according to the Turkish Environment and Urbanisation Ministry.
“It has been reported that he used bad quality material to save cost, and that is why it collapsed,” Beyza said, staring at the empty space where the building once stood.
The site has now been mostly cleared. Only some residents’ personal belongings, a teddy bear, shoes, and a ball of yarn, are scattered here and there on the ground.
Parts of Beyza’s building crumbled in the earthquake but it did not collapse. However, the structure is not safe for her and her husband to return.
“Why are all the other ones standing? It means they have done something wrong in the construction,” said Alter, 40, a teacher and local resident.
“Of course this could have been avoided,” he added.
“I’m angry and scared. I don’t feel safe any more to go back to my own building. Engineers did perform a safety check in my apartment, but the building that collapsed also had a licence from the municipality. You can’t trust anyone any more,” he said.
Emergency teams search for survivors in the rubble of a destroyed building in Adana, southern Turkey, on February 7. AP Photo
‘Everyone knew’ risks
Experts interviewed by The National unanimously agreed on the human responsibility for the high death toll caused by the earthquake.
Turkey is located in a seismic hazard zone, and previously endured several earthquakes, yet authorities did not implement the required protection measures, Pelin Pinar Giritlioglu, the Istanbul head of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, told The National.
“Everyone knew the risks”, she said.
After the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in 1999 that killed more than 18,000 people, greatly affecting Istanbul and its surroundings, academics, professional chambers, and non-government organisations carried out a number of studies to prepare cities for similar disasters.
“Experts produced disaster risk reduction plans for provinces. For the region of Hatay — one of the most affected regions — risks were clearly listed, such as the absence of data on illegal structures, the [siting] of the airport on the fault line, and the absence of earthquake-resistance tests performed on buildings,” Ms Giritlioglu said.
They also recommended basic earthquake protection measures, such as emergency evacuation routes, disaster assembly areas, and open public spaces where people would be safe.
“Hatay is not unique in that case, these are almost inexistent in our cities,” Ms Giritlioglu said.
The town of Samandag, in Hatay province, Turkey is largely in ruins after the earthquake on February 6. All photos: Matt Kynaston / The National
The coastal town is in the country’s south, near the Syrian border
More than a week after the catastrophe, there is still little presence of government assistance in the city
Those who remain in Samandag are almost completely dependent on aid groups and local NGOs for food, and basic provisions
Baris Yapar stands by his grandparents’ graves. He believes they could have been saved had rescue and recovery teams arrived faster
Most residents with relatives in other cities have left
Those who remain in Samandag are almost completely dependent on aid groups and local NGOs for food, and basic provisions
Survivors search through the rubble of what was once their homes
The city was one of the hardest-hit by the earthquake
The usually busy streets are now empty, filled with rubbish, broken glass and debris
Many bodies have not yet been pulled out of damaged buildings, or from under the rubble
A man stands outside what was once his clothing shop
“The issue is not only structure resistance, but also the urban system as a whole. Cities were shaped by direct political decisions, without taking into account the opinions of experts and planners,” she added.
Promises not kept
After the 1999 earthquake, Turkish authorities decided to stop granting zoning amnesties, which essentially legalise illegal buildings in exchange for a fee.
Yet, in 2018, a new zoning amnesty came into effect.
“Hundreds of thousands of illegal buildings were legalised,” Ms Giritlioglu said, adding that the operation was also highly profitable for the state coffers, which collected 23 million Turkish lira.
“It was said at the time that the money would be used to make cities earthquake resistant,” she said.
On top of this, authorities collected huge amounts of money from earthquake taxes introduced after the 1999 disaster — almost $36.5 billion according to Ms Giritioglu ― which were supposed to be invested in earthquake prevention.
“Looking at the extent of the destruction, we can say that these investments were not made. We don’t know where the money went, and we have no way to follow it,” she said.
Profit at the expense of safety
Experts said that profit was prioritised at the expense of safety.
After 2002, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, Turkey undertook nationwide urbanisation, spending billions of dollars on big infrastructure developments and mega projects such as skyscrapers and malls, which did not meet safety standards.
“One-storey shanty towns were gradually transformed into large buildings poorly constructed, attracting more residents from the countryside, usually more conservative, into big cities in an electoral move to shift the political balance in favour of the AKP,” said Burak Gurbuz, a professor in the faculty of economics, administrative and social science at the Istanbul Nisantasi University.
For Cihan Tugal, professor of sociology at the University of Berkley, California, the earthquake brought into question the growth model of the Turkish economy. “The whole growth burden was placed on the construction sector: authorities did not have time to regulate, they gave away tenders to build fast. It resulted in a very high growth rate until 2018,” he said.
“We are paying the price now”, he added.
Several actors have to be held accountable, he said, not only contractors, but also inspectors, engineers, ministries, and public administrations.
“Investigation is doable but whether it is going to be done, is another question,” he said.
