Missionary Park Hee-jung CBS Interview
"Can't Enter Building Due to Anxiety"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The damage left by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck T?rkiye and Syria was so great that it is difficult to estimate. Heejeong Park, who is engaged in missionary work in Hatay Province, T?rkiye, barely managed to escape the affected area with her husband and children. Although Hatay Province was about 200 km away from the epicenter, Park said that the church and surrounding buildings were completely destroyed by the strong tremors.
In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 8th, Park said, "I was awake around 4 a.m. when the earthquake occurred. While I had felt minor tremors a few times at Antioch Church, this time it was a strong shaking to the point where I could not control my body."
On the 6th (local time), residents in Osmaniye, southern Turkey, are moving to shelters to escape the earthquake. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Park said, "I woke up my children and husband and we got under the desk, but just as I thought the shaking was stopping, the electricity went out completely. I only thought about escaping quickly." She added, "It was raining outside and the weather was cold. Thinking about protecting the children, I grabbed only clothes and relied on the flashlight on my phone to go down the stairs. It was so terrifying and just chaos."
She continued, "As soon as we went outside, we met our church members and hugged and cried together. It was so chaotic that some people came out barefoot, and most were in their pajamas. Many buildings had already collapsed, so there was nowhere to take shelter from the rain," describing the urgent situation at the time.
She said that currently, due to collapsed buildings, rescue equipment and ambulances cannot enter, and "pedestrians are walking around calling out to see if there is any sign of life, desperately shouting and searching in many places." She also mentioned that the affected area has lost electricity and water supply, and people are suffering from hunger and cold.
Park, who has evacuated to a place called Maesin about four hours away from Hatay Province, said, "Due to anxiety, many of the local Korean residents are waiting in their cars or cannot stay inside their homes during the day." She added, "They sleep in their outdoor clothes, keeping essential items by the front door so they can leave immediately."
She added, "Right now, food and cold-weather supplies are urgently needed. The elderly and children are vulnerable to the cold and hunger. It would be great if these issues could be resolved quickly and support provided."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
