Unable to Let Go of Daughter's Hand Amid Collapsed Ruins
Tears of Parents Who Lost Children Continue in Syria
Father Mesut Hanzer holding tightly the hand of his deceased 15-year-old daughter [Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]
The death toll from the earthquake that struck southern T?rkiye (Turkey) and Syria has surpassed 6,300 within a day, with casualties increasing by the hour.
Among this, a photo reported by AFP on the 7th (local time) brought tears to many eyes. It shows a father unable to let go of his daughter's hand after she died trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.
The man in the photo is Mr. Mesut Hanzer, who lost his daughter in this devastating earthquake. He is crouched amidst the ruins of a collapsed apartment, clutching the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, Irmak Hanzer, unable to let go.
According to AFP, Irmak was lying in bed when the earthquake struck and was unable to evacuate in time, dying under debris of concrete, windows, and bricks. Rescue teams and several citizens struggled to pull Irmak and other victims from the rubble.
However, with roads destroyed preventing rescue teams from reaching the site and severe weather conditions, survivors are left helplessly pacing, unable to reach their family members trapped in the debris.
The British daily The Guardian described that nothing captures the pain of Kahramanmara? better than the heartbreaking image of the father and daughter. Kahramanmara? is a southern city about 80 km north of Gaziantep, near the epicenter of the earthquake.
Tears of Parents Who Lost Children Continue in Syria
In Syria, which also suffered earthquake damage alongside T?rkiye, the tears of parents who lost their children continue. AFP captured a scene of a Syrian father in the village of Zandaris in Afrin district, Aleppo province in the northwest, grieving while holding his already deceased baby.
Afrin is one of the areas controlled by Syrian rebels where rescue operations are progressing slowly. The father in the photo is seen emerging from the rubble of a destroyed building, holding the baby wrapped in a red blanket.
The death toll from the earthquake in T?rkiye and Syria has exceeded 8,100. This figure accounts only for confirmed deaths so far, and the number is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that in the worst case, the death toll from this earthquake could exceed 20,000.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
