I lost seven relatives in the earthquake in Turkey

As the death toll mounts after two major earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria, many in Scotland are watching in horror.

A rescue operation is underway after Monday’s tremors, but aid organizations are warning of a mounting humanitarian emergency in the region.

Meanwhile, Turks and Syrians living in Scotland are struggling to contact relatives involved in the disaster.

Teyfik Kamber, a chef at Eda Turkish restaurant in Glasgow, says he has lost seven family members in the Turkish city of Elbistan.

He has been unable to contact about 20 friends and family members in the area and fears the worst.

“It was really difficult to talk to people,” the 60-year-old told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime program.

“It was very difficult. There is nothing that can be said. The feeling is very, very sad and very hard. So many villages are waiting for the roads to be opened because there is a lot of snow.

“Yesterday we got some messages from family members and today we haven’t heard from them.”

Tekin Esmer, a cafe owner in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, already knows that his second cousins’ young children died after their house in Iskenderun collapsed during the earthquakes.

The 47-year-old is still waiting to hear if several uncles and aunts survived in the port city.

Tekin, who emigrated to Scotland 20 years ago, is in touch with his two brothers and their families.

He said: “My brothers and their families are out in the streets now – their homes are too badly damaged to go back inside.

“Last night one of my brothers only had two blankets to keep seven of them warm. They have nothing and their houses are being demolished because they are unsafe. It’s cold there and it’s frightening.

“I know my second cousins ​​are under a building – their children were brought out dead and I await further news. I can only assume they are dead too.”

Tekin Emer also lost relatives in the earthquake

Tekin, who runs Waffles and Brew, admits he feels helpless being so far from the crisis but hopes to do what he can from his cafe in Galashiels.

He added: “If I go there, what can I do?

“I feel useless to be here, but if I can help even a little bit, I’m glad – my customers put money in a donation box on my counter, and I put money from my earnings and put it in the fund as well.” .

“Once I have everything sorted out, I will try to collect clothes and blankets as well.”

Mahmut Tas cannot reach his wife’s family in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Mahmut Tas, who works at Akdeniz supermarket in Edinburgh, said he was concerned for his wife’s sister, her husband and their children.

He said they could not contact them or anyone else in Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey, where they live.

“For two days I’ve been looking at the TV, my wife is crying home. It’s very bad. So many people are affected,” he said.

Kafar Karahan

Cafar Karaharn, who works at Turkish Kitchen in Aberdeen, said he has family and friends across the quake-hit region but was unable to reach them.

“It’s very scary, heartbreaking and upsetting,” he said.

He expressed concern about sub-zero temperatures in the region, where many survivors are unable to return to their homes.

He said he hadn’t slept since he first saw television images of the devastation caused by the earthquake.

“Sitting and crying and just shedding tears … it’s not pretty to see people dying before our eyes,” he said.

The search for survivors in Aleppo, Syria, continues

Nadin Atkin, a Syrian woman who works at the University of Edinburgh, told BBC Scotland she arrived in Aleppo to visit family 20 minutes after Monday morning’s earthquake struck.

“When I got home, the ground was heaving and shaking like jelly, so many people were in their pajamas, house clothes, slippers with no jackets or warm clothes on the streets.

“We have not been able to sleep or eat for the past two days. We are in unstable and unexpected circumstances where we never know what will happen next, I left my bag with our passport, money… ready for any moment we might need.”

Ms Atkin, who moved to Scotland from Syria in 2008, said people were left homeless and without food.

“Hundreds of buildings were destroyed over the heads of residents. So many houses have become great tombs,” she said.

“The international community and anyone who wants to send aid to the affected region must give their fair share of that aid to the forgotten region.

“Aid must reach north-west Syria by air and land as quickly as possible. Opportunity is lost for those trapped beneath the rubble and for those who spent last night outside in the cold and snow.”

British firefighters, including some from Scotland, are traveling to Turkey to help with the rescue effort.

Meanwhile, a Scottish-Turkish charity has set up collection points in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and St Andrews to collect donations for the earthquake victims.

The Association of Turkish Alumni and Students in Scotland (ATAS) arranged a plane to transport food, clothes and blankets to Turkey on Friday.

It said all kinds of donations were needed, but funding was the most important thing.

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