“Today, I heard the good news that they managed to get a child out of the rubble alive. That is a significant phenomenon for rescue teams. Instead of constantly taking out corpses, freeing a survivor, saving a life is a stimulating factor for them,” said Bagrat Estukian, head of the Armenian section of the bilingual Armenian newspaper Agos published in Istanbul on February 9, in a telephone conversation with “Azatutyun” -“Liberty” radio station.
According to preliminary data, the earthquake killed at least 10 Armenians in Turkey. Armenian singer Zilan Tigris and her husband were found dead from the rubble in Diyarbakır they had been looking for them for three days, Estukian told “Azatutyun”.
“In addition to being a singer, she is also a lawyer and a very nice person I knew personally. She lived in Diyarbakir; as far as I know, they were left under the rubble together with her husband, rubble.”
According to the editor, at least two Armenians are still under the rubble. – “They are spouses: an old woman and an old man. We probably have about ten victims. I know eight for sure, but I still don’t know the names of the rest. They are in different cities. Armenians died in Antakya and Diyarbakir; one Armenian died in Adıyaman and three Armenians died in Malatya.
Estukian said that the victims of the disaster are still spending the night near their destroyed apartments, waiting for their relatives to be taken out of the rubble, and then to understand how and where they will continue their lives. – “They spend the night near the ruins until the relatives are found; at least they get the remains.” According to him, the number of homeless people is still being adjusted. The earthquake took Armenian lives in the Armenian community of Syria. Bishop Ter Armash Nalbandian, leader of the Armenian Diocese of Damascus, describes the situation on the spot with the word “terrible.”
“There is a fear of staying inside any stone building. That’s why most people are outside, or in their cars, on school buses, because in the shelters, we don’t even have heat and electricity.” According to the head of the diocese, all the homeless and injured people took shelter in the Armenian Church in Aleppo and Latakia affected by the earthquake. Volunteers are working to deliver food, clothes, and necessary supplies to the needy. It is not clear how much the aid sent from Armenia will be. The need is great. “The main help now is to provide people with immediate food and medical care and help with a place to stay.” According to Bishop Armash, they have one priority: restoring the buildings so people can return home quickly. – “On the other hand, we have already taken some steps; we have announced a fund so that in the future, we will also repair their damaged apartments, and people can return to their homes safely.”
The editor of “Gandzasar” newspaper published in Aleppo, Zarmik Poghikian, also said several buildings that remained standing after the earthquake collapsed. And so that there are no new victims, it was decided to inhabit the buildings after strengthening them. This is why Zarmik’s family did not spend the night at home, even though their house was inspected, and it concluded that there was no danger of collapse. – “Out of ten pillars of the building, only one was cracked. They said that the building would not collapse; it was safe. But that one damage must be repaired so that, God forbid, if there is a strong earthquake shock in the future, it will not be damaged again, or the damage will not be greater.”
