03.02.2026 19:02
Sixteen-year-old Furkan Çaksen, who lost his family in the earthquake in Hatay and was rescued from the rubble after 12 hours, is living with his grandmother Zeynep Acar. Grandmother Acar, who took care of her grandson, a legacy from her deceased daughter, said, "My daughter left her son to me as a gift," touching hearts.
After the earthquake in Hatay, 16-year-old Furkan Çaksen, who lost his family, is trying to hold on to a new life with his grandmother Zeynep Acar. Grandmother Acar takes care of her grandson, whom she sees as the legacy of her deceased daughter, and they face difficulties together.
LOST HIS FAMILY IN THE EARTHQUAKE In Hatay, which was most devastated by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, thousands of buildings were destroyed, and approximately 25,000 people lost their lives. 16-year-old Furkan Çaksen, who was caught in the disaster in the General Şükrü Kanatlı neighborhood of Antakya, lost his father Bekir, 44, his mother Özlem, 41, and his siblings Fatma Rabia, 18, Reyyan, 10, and Asel, 4, under the rubble. Çaksen, who lost his entire family in the earthquake, was rescued after being trapped under the rubble for 12 hours. Since the disaster, Çaksen, who is left alone from the family photo, continues to live with his grandmother Zeynep Acar. Grandmother Acar, who has been taking care of her grandson since the first day he came out of the rubble, said that she looks after him as if he is a gift from her late daughter.
"AT FIRST, I HEARD MY FATHER'S VOICE, THEN IT FADED AWAY" Furkan Çaksen, who lost his 3 sisters, mother, and father in the earthquake and was rescued after 12 hours, said, "On the evening of the earthquake, we all had our last meals together and went to bed after doing our homework. We woke up suddenly when the house shook at 04:17 on the day of the earthquake. Reflexively, I ran to my siblings, and they were awake. My siblings were confused and looking around. As soon as I got to my siblings, the house collapsed. When the house collapsed, I was trapped under the rubble. I was under the rubble for 12 hours; I remember 4 hours of it, but I don't remember the rest. I lost my 3 sisters, my mother, and my father in the earthquake. I could hear my father's voice during the earthquake, but as time went on, his voice faded away. A dear teacher of ours, Mustafa Albayrak, came to me and rescued me. My voice was heard outside, but my father's voice was much lower. The people outside couldn't hear my father's voice. That teacher saved me. After I got out, we sat on a stone. There was no one to come or take us. Everyone was trying to save lives in the rubble," he said.
"WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES, IT FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY" Despite three years having passed since the earthquake, Furkan Çaksen remembers those days when he closes his eyes, saying, "It has been 3 years since the earthquake, but when we close our eyes, it feels like yesterday. It is always on my mind; it never leaves my thoughts. I was in the last year of middle school during the earthquake, and now I am in the 11th grade in high school. I currently live with my grandmother. I stay in Şenköy neighborhood of Yayladağı district. I go to school and come back; we live together. I will take the university entrance exam. I am studying for my classes. I hope to get into the teaching department. We spend time together. Since she is old, I support her. After we got out of the rubble, we went to the hospital. There were injured people everywhere in the hospital. Doctors were trying to run everywhere, but unfortunately, they couldn't keep up. My arm was swollen, it was going to get gangrene, and we went to the operating room. There were people with swollen bodies everywhere. A doctor called me and put an alcohol pad on my arm, and swelling started to occur. When the swelling started, they said I wouldn't need surgery because I could move my thumb. Because at that time, those who went into surgery were losing their limbs and coming out. That's why I was very scared. My arm was swollen too, and I thought they would cut it off," he said.
"MY DAUGHTER LEFT HER SON TO ME AS A GIFT" Grandmother Acar, who has been taking care of her grandson, the legacy of her deceased child since the first day of the earthquake, expressed that her daughter left her a gift, saying, "I was at another daughter's house that day; they had gone to Istanbul for a wedding. That night, I experienced the earthquake too. We left the place where we lived and sat in a taxi for 5 hours. I said the children didn't come. We got the news that my child and her family were trapped under the rubble. We came to our children, and they pulled them out from the rubble. We buried the bodies. My daughter died, but she left me one of her sons as a gift. My grandson stays with me. He treats me like his own mother. We live together. The pain of losing a child is different and very hard," she said.