'I lost all my friends': Saskatoon couple coping with loss of family and friends in Turkiye
A Saskatoon couple is left feeling powerless to help their family and friends dig out of the rubble following the two major earthquakes in Turkiye on Monday.
Mehmet Dökmeci and his wife Meltem desperately tried to reach anyone they could in the day after the quake, but phone service and power were scarce.
“Everybody left their phones or car keys and everything, and they got stuck outside with nothing,” said Dökmeci.
Dökmeci worried for his 83-year-old father in Antakya.
“At that moment, we thought the whole building collapsed. We couldn’t get a hold of anyone.”
Over a day later, they got a hold of the caretaker of the building.
“We found out my father was OK, and he was in a park right beside the building that he came out. They were hanging out there with the neighbours trying to get warm.”
With no power, they relied on fire for light and warmth. It was a moment of relief, but it was tinged with pain, says Dökmeci.
“I know that he’s probably not happy that he’s alive. All his brothers, all his nieces and nephews are in the rubble; it’s not a good feeling,” he said. “I can’t recognize my hometown.”
Meltem says she’s lost both family and friends -- uncles, aunts and cousins
“I lost all my friends,” said Meltem. “There is just a little, little friends alive. All my relatives, everybody, almost 80 per cent gone.”
Meltem says she has daily prayers for her lost relatives.
“I am praying to my sister. Thank you, my sister. You are my angel. You are the angel.”
The amount of territory search and rescue teams have to cover has created an impossible task, says Dökmeci.
“This is about 66,000 square kilometres of a place, we’re talking about 10 cities, and about 13 to 15 million people.”
They feel so small trying to cope with the disaster from afar, says Dökmeci.
Melmet is calling on Saskatoon residents to contribute what they can to the relief effort.
“Turkiye definitely needs help. Please help Turkiye. There’s no houses … they need food, they need rescue now, please, please, Canada, help.”
The couple has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for relief organizations, including the Red Crescent.
-With files from Tyler Barrow
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.