A distraught teenager has launched a desperate plea to help find his family who are
feared trapped in the rubble at the epicentre of the Turkey and Syria earthquake.
Soner Ekiztas, 17, from Lewyns Drive in Doncaster has raised over £4,000 for his dad and
cousin who have spent days searching for their family and offering aid to communities in
Turkey.
Soner’s auntie, uncle and cousin were on the fourth floor of a 10-storey building when the
7.8 magnitude earthquake hit only miles away from their home in Kahramanmaraş at the
very early hours of Monday morning.
“My cousin that is stuck under the rubble right now, one of his friends has been keeping in
contact with us and given us updates”, said Soner.
“They told us a couple of hours ago that someone from the fifth floor has been freed and
there are still voices.
“When we hear news like this is just brings so much relief, but we are just praying and
hoping for the best.”
Soner’s 23-year-old cousin, Owkes Ekiztas, joined his dad in the search for their family, to
find his mum, dad and younger brother aged 19.
Soner said: “My dad is really just hoping for the best, but before he left for Turkey he
started crying and I’ve never really seen my dad cry so that really affected me.
“I’m equally worried for my cousin because if they are dead and he is the one to find their
body then it would be something that would ruin him forever, knowing that he is the only
one left in his family of four”.
The death toll of the quake has surpassed 21,500 making it more deadly than the Marmara
earthquake 24 years ago.
There has been strong criticism of the initial response from the Turkish government. Soner
said: “The government really isn’t doing anything about it. It’s the communities and regular
people coming together.
“There’s been so little support from the Turkish government. It’s like they’ve failed us.”
Soner’s dad and cousin flew to Turkey straight after they heard about the news of the
earthquake in to offer aid and support to their Turkish community.
“My dad is borrowing someone’s car to buy food and give out as much food as he can
because of the funds that I’ve raised as well as his own money.
“There isn’t enough people being helped. They are sleeping out in the cold. They don’t have
water and they don’t have electricity. So, even the people that have survived can’t contact
their family to see if they are okay and tell them that they are alive”, said Soner.
The funds raised through Soner’s GoFundMe page will go directly towards search parties,
generators and machinery to help those under the rubble.
He said, “any donations help, no matter how little or big”.
Ekin Han, 17, who also has family from Turkey and grew up with Soner in the UK donated
£100 towards his emergency fundraiser.
He said it’s horrible feeling helpless: “It’s heart breaking to see the deaths. It’s affected me
as well; my village as well has not got communication with everyone there.
“We want to help out as much as we can since we can’t go and help out. The most we can
do is send money to people who can go and help out.”
You can donate to Soner’s appeal at: https://gofund.me/d3d2c819