One bottle of milk for nine infants
By Seda Taskin
Four days have passed since the two major earthquakes, but the road to Kullar could not be reopened until last night due to weather conditions and severe damage.
Our reporter was on the spot and talked to the villagers about what happened.
RESPONSE BY THEIR OWN MEANS
The village of Kullar, with its 2500 inhabitants, is one of the most damaged by the earthquake. No rescue workers arrived here, where dozens still lie under the rubble.
Villagers said they helped the injured for four days with their own resources and said they prepared baby food by melting the snow.
BODIES GATHERED IN THE VILLAGE SQUARE
When we reached the village square, we saw some of the bodies that were pulled out from under the rubble and gathered in the village square. The gendarmerie made identification and then the bodies were placed behind pickup trucks and taken to the village cemetery. Villagers said that at least 400 people died in the village.
They have been trying for the last four days to get their relatives out of the rubble by their own means. The 16-year-old teenager, whose mother and siblings were under the rubble, said he slept next to the wreckage for a day and described his experiences as follows:
NO SIGN OF AFAD, STRETCHERS MADE OUT OF WOOD
“I pulled my aunt and brother out of the rubble with my own means. Still my mother and brothers are in the rubble and are dead. There has been no sound from the wreckage for days. I was able to get my brother out on the first day, but then the house collapsed completely. No one came here, no one from AFAD. Whatever we did, we did on our own. We removed people from other houses with our own efforts. We made stretchers from wood, we made coffins from wood. What can I say, our situation is very bad.”
WE MADE WATER FROM SNOW AND PREPARED FOOD FOR BABIES
Ayse Gun, 50, said many people burned to death in the rubble of houses and dozens still waiting under the rubble,
"Small children and babies who went to school were burned. For days no one came, and we had to divide a bottle of milk among 10 babies. We prepared baby food with melted snow water. Our situation has been deplorable for days. We are devastated.
