27.04.2026 19:03
Burak Öksüz, who wears the Ümraniye jersey, spoke for the first time since the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, which affected 11 provinces. Öksüz said, 'It was a matter of seconds. The building suddenly collapsed, everything went pitch black, and we fell to the ground. At first, I started screaming when it collapsed. My mother said, 'Don't scream, they won't hear you. The earthquake just happened.' While digging upwards with my hand, I saw a gap and thought, 'I think I can get out of here.' With God's power, I threw off the concrete above me. After that, I got my mother out.'
Burak Öksüz, the 30-year-old experienced defender of Trendyol 1st League team Eminevim Ümraniyespor, evaluated both the team's progress in the league and his individual performance as the season enters its final weeks. The seasoned defender spoke for the first time to Demirören News Agency (DHA) about his experiences during the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, which affected 11 provinces.
‘MAY OUR NATION NEVER EXPERIENCE SUCH A THING AGAIN’
Burak Öksüz, stating that the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, which affected 11 provinces, was a huge disaster, said, “It was a huge catastrophe. It was a very difficult period, not as a footballer but as a human being. We all learned how secondary football can be at that time. We already saw it. I once again pray for mercy for those who died. May our nation never experience such a thing again. We left there, came here. We continue our lives, but there are still people living in containers there, continuing their lives. May God help them.”
‘IF MY MOTHER WEREN’T STRONG, MY EFFORTS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ENOUGH’
Öksüz, stating that the earthquake happened very quickly and that he struggled a lot while getting out from under the rubble, said, “It was a matter of seconds. It would be a lie if I said how long it lasted. The building collapsed in an instant, everything went pitch black, and we fell to the ground. I got out of there somehow, with God’s help. I struggled a lot getting out. At first, when it collapsed, I started shouting. My mother said, ‘Don’t shout, they won’t hear you. The earthquake just happened.’ While I was digging upward with my hands, I saw a gap and said, ‘I think I can get out from here.’ With the power of God, I pushed off the concrete above me. After that, I got my mother out. My mother is a strong woman. It’s something from the Black Sea heritage. If my mother weren’t strong, my efforts wouldn’t have been enough. That’s how I got my mother out too,” he said.
‘I SAW THE DISASTER WHEN THE SUN ROSE’
Öksüz, stating that he did not expect the earthquake to be so massive, continued his words as follows:
“I stayed there for a while. The earthquake happened around 4:00 AM. I estimate it was around 7:00-7:30 AM when I got out. It was dark though. I thought only our building had collapsed in the earthquake. Because it was night and I couldn’t see anything. There was a gas station nearby. My mother and I went directly there. It was very cold anyway. I wasn’t dressed appropriately at all. I saw the disaster when the sun rose. I wasn’t expecting something like that. I didn’t even understand how our building collapsed. I saw how the building collapsed after the sun came up.”
‘PEOPLE WHO RECOGNIZED ME THREW A BLANKET OVER ME AS I WALKED’
Öksüz, stating that he and his mother walked to the club facilities barefoot after rescuing his mother from the rubble, said the following:
“I don’t know how the building collapsed. I also don’t know how the city collapsed. I was looking for a taxi there. I told my mother, ‘We need to go to our facility.’ I wasn’t dressed appropriately at all. I thought I could put on my tracksuit if I went to the facility. These were on my mind. When the day broke, I realized the chance of going anywhere was zero. My mother and I started walking. While walking, the news came out. They said, ‘Burak is walking naked on the street, having lost consciousness.’ Not because I lost consciousness, but I emerged from the earthquake like this. We started walking to the facility. People who recognized me threw a blanket over me as I walked. I wrapped the blanket around my mother and myself. We had nothing on our feet; we walked to the facility like that. If I got out at 8:00 AM, it took me 2-3 hours to walk to the facility. Actually, it’s not that far a distance.”
‘VOLKAN HOCA STARTED CRYING WHEN HE SAW ME’
Burak Öksüz stated that Volkan Demirel, the technical director working at Atakaş Hatayspor at that time, cried when he saw him. “As I was going to the facility, about 1 kilometer remained. A car stopped behind me. I turned around; it was Volkan hoca, assistant coaches. They saw me and started crying. I was still under the influence of the earthquake then. When I reached the facility, there were older guys—Kaan, Musa, and Onur abi. My friends were there. Their wives were crying when they saw me. By then it was probably 10:00-10:45 AM. When you can’t get news, you think of something bad, and they probably expected something like that from me. Everyone was saddened when they saw me. But those were tough times,” he said.
‘I RETURNED TO LIFE IN BODRUM FK’
Stating that he went to Ankara for treatment, Burak Öksüz thanked Bodrum FK for taking him away from the earthquake environment and into a different setting at that time. Öksüz said, “Actually, if you ask me, I don’t think I was greatly affected personally. But my family said, considering my behavior at that time, that I was affected. I went to Ankara for treatment. I also had my own injury at that time. That’s why I went to Ankara for treatment. I want to thank Ali Şafak Öztürk and Servet Çavuşoğlu for my move to Bodrum FK. They were like older brothers to me. I wasn’t thinking about it at all then. To be honest, there were 3-4 months left until the end of the season. I didn’t want to go; I didn’t want to play football actually, but they invited me, and I’m very grateful. I am very happy that I went there. I returned to life there. My coach İsmet Taşdemir, he also contributed a lot to me. May God be pleased with him. They pulled me from that earthquake environment into a different one. I thank them very much,” he said.
‘THEY HELPED ME A LOT, I WON’T FORGET THAT’
Burak Öksüz, stating that Ali Şafak Öztürk called him and invited him to Bodrum FK during the post-earthquake process, continued his words as follows:
“I didn’t want to quit football. A week or ten days after the earthquake, I said, ‘I need to go somewhere, I need to play, clear my mind, and prepare for the new season.’ But then I said, ‘Burak, there are 3-4 months left, rest, let the injury heal.’ After that, Ali Şafak Öztürk contacted me and said, ‘Come here, son, you can both prepare for the new season and collect your thoughts.’ So they helped me a lot; I won’t forget that.”
Öksüz stated that Christian Atsu and Atakaş Hatayspor Sporting Director Taner Savut, who lost their lives in the earthquake, were staying in the same building. “Atsu, Taner abi, we were all in the same building. Taner abi is actually my fellow countryman. Both were very good people,” he said.