24.04.2025 14:32
Seventeen-year-old Mahmut Ali Kızılaslan, who jumped onto a car from his window in Zeytinburnu during the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Istanbul, spoke about his experience. The young man, who described it as a traumatic experience, said, "I was sleeping. I woke up in the air. I don’t remember opening the window or anything. I only remember falling at that moment. My foot was already broken."
During the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Istanbul yesterday at 12:49 PM, 17-year-old Mahmut Ali Kızılaslan, who lives in the Yenidoğan neighborhood of Zeytinburnu, jumped from the first floor of a three-story building. Kızılaslan, who fell onto a parked car, was discharged after treatment at the hospital. The young man recounted the terrifying moments he experienced.
"WE ARE FROM KAHRAMANMARAŞ, I ALREADY HAD TRAUMA"
Kızılaslan stated that he was caught off guard while sleeping during the earthquake, saying, "I had an online class in the morning. My foot was already broken, I was on leave at home. After attending the class, I went back to sleep. I was sleeping when the earthquake happened. I didn't have a cast on my foot, but it was broken. I woke up at the most intense shaking. I wasn't aware of what I was doing. I already had trauma from earthquakes. We are from Kahramanmaraş. We had experienced very bad things in the past." he said.
"I WOKE UP IN THE AIR"
The young man, who stated that he does not remember what he experienced, said, "I headed towards the door with my broken foot. I couldn't step on my foot. I was very scared. In that moment of panic, I opened the window, but I don't remember anything about my hand going to the glass. I woke up in the air. I don't remember opening the window. I only remember falling." he spoke.
"MY FOOT WAS ALREADY BROKEN"
Kızılaslan said, "I threw myself to the ground. Neighbors helped. After I fell, they thought my foot was broken, but it was already broken. I didn't even know my mother was at home because I was sleeping. Since I couldn't escape, I must have jumped onto the car. The car owner is also our neighbor. They sat me down below. May God help us. It was very bad for us." he expressed.
"OUR HOUSE IS A 5-STORY GRAVEYARD"
Kızılaslan, who said, "They always scared us by giving examples from the Hatay earthquake," stated, "We did not experience the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, but all our relatives experienced the earthquake there. We had bad experiences because of them. Our house is very old. People need to come together and help with urban transformation. It's all a pile of rubble. A five-story graveyard. If there had been a major earthquake in Istanbul and I had jumped, I would have been declared a hero. It's a very serious situation. People who have really experienced the earthquake write about how understanding they are. They can do anything in a panic. This is Istanbul; if one building collapses in the neighborhood, the neighborhood will be closed anyway. Who will rush to our aid? People can only rely on themselves. Two buildings in our neighborhood collapsed for no reason. Could such a thing happen?" he questioned.