Gendarmerie teams have been on duty since the first moment of the earthquake in Hatay. One of those who helped heal the wounds in the region is Gendarmerie Petty Officer Özlem Özçelik. Özçelik, whose 7-year-old daughter died under the rubble, is trying to relieve her son's pain by helping earthquake victims.
Earthquakes that occurred in Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş on February 6 caused great destruction in 11 provinces and thousands of people lost their lives. After the earthquakes, while some of the regions almost turned into a pile of debris, many citizens had to migrate to the surrounding provinces.
The number of people who lost their lives in the earthquakes rose to 46. In Hatay, the 104-year-old daughter of Gendarmerie Petty Officer Özlem Özçelik was also buried under the rubble and died.
Petty Officer Özlem Özçelik, describing the process she lived, said, "My daughter was with her grandmother, there was a family apartment here. He said to me, when will you come to pick me up, mom said, I have school on Monday. So I said, my daughter, I am on duty on Sunday, and when my shift is over, I will come and pick you up early on Monday morning. He didn't stay up either, played with his cousins until 11 at night, and was left in the wreckage when he collapsed on the ground floor next to his grandmother, who had gone down to the floor.' used his statements.
He buried his son's pain in his heart. He immediately went to work. Gendarmerie Petty Officer Özlem Özçelik extends a helping hand to earthquake victims.
Recovered Girl's Lifeless Body from the Wreck on Day 4
Expressing that it was the most difficult days of her life, Özçelik said, “I tried to go to my daughter's place, but I was surrounded by rubble buildings. People were waiting for our help somehow, it was like an apocalypse. I didn't know how many pieces I was going to break, but of course, my daughter was the first thing that came to my mind. We waited for four days to get it out, we couldn't get it out. At the end of the 4th day, we were able to take his body. He was young, he had no sin. I console myself as I know that he is entrusted to Allah and that there is no one else I can trust other than him.”
The earthquake zone is full of many heroic and painful stories. Gendarmerie Özlem Özçelik's daughter was also trapped under the collapsed building and died. Özçelik supports earthquake survivors while suffering from a child. He travels from village to village, helping to heal wounds.