Pazarcık, Turkey — Suat Yenipınar was in his fifth-floor residence together with his grandson, when final week’s earthquake woke him up.

“When the earthquake occurred I grabbed him and tried to flee the constructing, however we hit the partitions and fell over, so I simply coated him with my physique to guard him if the constructing collapsed,” the 60-year-old native journalist recalled. ” After the quake was over, we received out immediately – items had been falling off the constructing.”

Yenipınar resides in a tent now subsequent to a Crimson Crescent cell kitchen, on this city, near epicentre of the earthquake.

Greater than 450 individuals have died in Pazarcık, which had about 28,000 individuals dwelling there on the time. It has an official inhabitants of about 68,000 individuals however many residents work overseas, particularly in Germany. Now there are solely between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals left, in response to estimates of locals.

The earthquake has additionally killed one thing else: an area newspaper that Yenipınar printed from an workplace within the constructing, which is now badly broken.

Titled Aksu Haber Gazetesi, the newspaper’s final version ran on February 3, the Friday earlier than the earthquakes which have to date killed greater than 41,000 individuals in Turkey and northwest Syria. It now stands as a reminder of a time frozen in eternity – the previous couple of days earlier than the town was decimated.

“Life in Pazarcık is over after the earthquake, all of the buildings must be demolished,” he mentioned.

He mentioned he stays appreciative of the federal government. “Thank God to the federal government, they gave us greater than we deserve,” Yenipınar mentioned.

On the identical time, he criticised the authorities. He mentioned that he’ll transfer to a different metropolis when he can as a result of he has no religion that Pazarcık will likely be rebuilt.

“I don’t belief politicians, at the moment they are saying one factor, tomorrow one other,” Yenipınar mentioned. “I don’t see it being totally rebuilt. The cash collected yesterday — let’s wait and see how a lot of that’s wasted.” TV fundraising pulled in additional than $6bn on Wednesday.

His residence partitions are cracked, and particles is piled on what was his furnishings.

Simply throughout the road from his residence block is rubble — all that is still of a constructing that collapsed, killing two of Yenipınar’s pals.

‘Shaken like yoghurt’

But amid the devastation, house and camaraderie survive.

Ahmet Efe’s home was broken badly and he’s staying in a container home donated by an Istanbul-based well being firm. The 36-year-old helps different survivors by delivering photo voltaic panel chargers.

“A man from Kayseri [a central Turkish city] designed it and several other corporations are working collectively to supply them,” he mentioned of the chargers. “The lightbulb provides gentle all night time, and you may cost a cellphone by connecting the USB port to a 12-volt plug.”

Efe mentioned that the earthquake was so sturdy he couldn’t even shout something when it occurred.

“You understand ayran [a yoghurt drink]. Earlier than consuming it you need to shake it. It was like that – being shaken up and down, facet to facet – for 2 minutes,” he mentioned. “At the moment, I couldn’t do something, I wished to shout to my spouse however couldn’t.”

In contrast to Yenipınar, Efe wasn’t prepared to surrender on Pazarcık.

“Proper now we’ve got no clue what’s going to occur,” he mentioned. “However we will simply rebuild – there may be cash right here, we will do it.”

Reporting by Patrick Keddie in Pazarcık, Turkey