03.02.2026 14:23
Mustafa Sezer, who lost his 19-year-old university student son in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, tries to ease his longing by visiting the cemetery every week. Despite three years having passed since the earthquake, his pain is still fresh.
Mustafa Sezer, a grieving father who lost his 19-year-old university student son in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, tries to ease his longing by visiting the cemetery every week. Sezer, who states that time does not make one forget anything, said, "We are still on February 6."
3 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE DISASTER OF THE CENTURY
Three years have passed since the February 6 earthquakes, described as the disaster of the century, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands and destroyed homes and workplaces in 11 provinces, including Gaziantep. The pain of families who lost their loved ones in the earthquakes still retains its freshness from the first day. Those who lost their loved ones, limbs, homes, and jobs, those who had to leave the cities where they were born and raised, and those trying to build a new life continue to live with the material and spiritual effects of the earthquakes.
CUMA SEZER WENT TO KAHRAMANMARAŞ TO STUDY AT UNIVERSITY
Cuma Sezer, the eldest child of Mustafa Sezer, who lives in Gaziantep, went to Kahramanmaraş in 2022 to study at university and lost his life due to the collapse of the Seçkinler Apartment on Karasu Boulevard in the Haydar Bey neighborhood of the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş. After the first earthquake at 04:17, father Sezer went to Kahramanmaraş with his wife and relatives when he could not reach his son Cuma Sezer by phone as soon as he went outside. Seeing that the building where his son Cuma Sezer was staying had collapsed, Mustafa Sezer was devastated at that moment. He never left the rubble and searched for his son with the rescue teams, eventually reaching his son's lifeless body at the end of the fourth day. Mustafa Sezer has been living with the pain of losing his son for 3 years as if it were the first day. He regularly visits his son's grave in the Asri Cemetery to ease his pain, reading the Quran and praying, and he stated that his pain has not changed at all during the time since the earthquakes. Facing the bitterest side of life after the great earthquakes, Sezer noted that it is difficult to express the pain he experienced in words.
THE BUILDING WHERE MY SON STAYED HAD COMPLETELY COLLAPSED
Describing the moment of the earthquake, Sezer said, "I was in Gaziantep at the moment of the earthquake. I called my son in Kahramanmaraş, but I couldn't reach him. We immediately went to Kahramanmaraş. The building where my son was staying had completely collapsed. Despite all our calls, we could only reach him under the rubble on the evening of the fourth day. He had passed away. On the evening of the fourth day, we took my son's body and brought it to Gaziantep," he said. Sezer, who still feels the pain of losing his 19-year-old son in his heart, stated, "Those days were very difficult days. We felt the helplessness of the earthquake. The weather was cold, and aid was limited. We tried to retrieve my son's body with our own efforts. We suffered a lot. May God not let our country experience such disasters again. There are no words to say. Those days have never left our minds; we never forget. We are still on February 6."
"TIME DOES NOT MAKE ONE FORGET ANYTHING"
Stating that time does not make one forget anything, Sezer said, "God has decreed this. We were content when He gave and when He took. We did everything we could to save my son, but we could not. We were able to retrieve my son from under the rubble on the fourth day. Thank God, at least he has a grave. There are people who do not even have a grave. When we have the opportunity, we visit my son's grave with his friends and our relatives on Fridays. May God not let this earthquake happen to our country and to any Muslim again. Those were truly difficult days; we realized our helplessness and our needs. Infinite thanks be to our Lord. We have faith in Him. We will hold on to our faith as much as we can. Despite our pain, we give thanks. This is God's decree. May God have mercy on all of them abundantly," he said.