Cold Weather After Earthquake... "Even Those Who Barely Survived Died from the Cold"

Turkish Journalist Alphago Sina
"Similar to the Collapse of 10,000 Sampoong Department Store Units"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Alphago Sinaci, a journalist from Turkey, explained on the 6th that the scale of the earthquake damage that struck Turkey and Syria was equivalent to the collapse of 10,000 Sampoong Department Stores.

Sinaci appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 8th to explain the characteristics of the southeastern region of Turkey where the earthquake occurred. He said, "In fact, geologists had been saying for several years that a large-scale earthquake would occur in this area."

However, he pointed out that compared to the western part of Turkey, where the capital and major tourist sites are located, the southeast had almost no earthquake preparedness. He said, "More attention was paid mainly to the economically growing cities in the west. Moreover, earthquakes do not occur that frequently in the southeast," adding, "The southeast was complacent because even if an earthquake occurred, it wouldn't be a big one."

Fortunately, he said, "due to the Syrian civil war and other reasons, not only Korean tourists but most tourists do not go east of Ankara (the capital), and mainly visit the western region, so it is relatively safe."

Sinaci said that the situation in Syria is worse than in Turkey. The earthquake-affected areas in Syria are regions contested between the Syrian central government and rebel forces, making it unclear who manages the area and difficult to access for aid.

In Turkey, the media is unable to properly report the damage situation to its citizens. Sinaci said, "The government made a big mistake. They should have declared a state of emergency immediately after the earthquake, but they did not declare it from the start." He added, "The state of emergency was declared only after 35 hours, and soldiers were dispatched immediately. People are saying, 'They should have declared the state of emergency earlier,' and 'Who will take responsibility for those who died in the meantime?' (Public opinion has worsened) and Turkish media is not properly reporting the earthquake situation."

However, he said this earthquake could have a positive effect on Turkey's relations with neighboring countries. He said, "Turkey has had somewhat strained relations recently with Greece and Israel, but as soon as the earthquake occurred, both countries immediately offered help and dispatched rescue teams."

His biggest concern was, "The weather is very bad," and he said, "To be frank, hope for those trapped under collapsed buildings is lost. Even those who barely survived could die because of the weather."