06.02.2025 10:46
A building that was heavily damaged in the earthquakes on February 6 in Diyarbakır collapsed during a controlled demolition, causing damage to the Buhara 2 Apartment. In the building, which had damaged columns and was decided to be evacuated, 5 families could not move due to financial difficulties. The families, who stated that they are living in fear in the house, are asking for help from the authorities.
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The Özbek Apartment located on 478th Street in Mevlana Halit Neighborhood of Bağlar district, which was heavily damaged and decided to be demolished due to the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, collapsed during controlled demolition in December 2024, causing damage to the Buhara 2 Apartment next to it. It was decided to evacuate the apartment, which suffered damage to its exterior and some columns. While 25 of the 30 apartments in the building were evacuated, 5 apartments could not be vacated due to financial difficulties.
"HALF OF THE BUILDING'S EXTERIOR HAS COLLAPSED AND PEOPLE ARE STILL INSIDE"
Those forced to live in the building said they were waiting for a report to be prepared. Mustafa Oskan (35), one of the residents, stated, "Half of one side of the building has collapsed and people are still inside. They are not staying there by choice; they cannot leave due to financial reasons. Those who have left have all moved to different places, to rentals. No one has a second home. Because the financial means of these people are limited." he said.
"PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING GREAT HARDSHIP"
Expressing that the legal process regarding the damaged buildings is ongoing, Oskan said, "Our building is 30 years old. When the adjacent Özbek Apartment was demolished, our building was also damaged. For this reason, the authorities told us to evacuate the building. We had to evacuate the 30-apartment building. However, we currently have no support or ownership rights after vacating the building. The cost of renting a house today is 15,000 TL. When you rent a house, they ask for a deposit and an advance payment, and including moving costs, the total monthly expense is between 60,000 and 70,000 TL. We were living here as two families. My mother and I were living separately. I have moved two houses, and our monthly expense is 130,000 TL. 80% of the people in the building work in construction. People are experiencing great hardship. There are still families remaining inside. There are 30 families in our building, and 5 families could not leave," he said.
"WE ARE AFRAID"
Fatma Tanrıverdi, one of the families remaining in the apartment, stated that she has no means to move, saying, "I cannot move to a rental; I have no one working at home. I have no husband, no salary. My son is also not working. Everyone in this building has moved to rentals. We are afraid; thieves come to the building, and we are scared. There are 3 of us living in the house. In total, 5 families are living in the building. Our government should find a solution, support us, and not leave us abandoned." she expressed.
"THE DEMOLITION COMPANY IS TRYING TO SHIFT THE BLAME"
Idris Erdoğan (27) also expressed that they are victims, stating, "We are victims. The demolition of the building started 2 months ago. During the demolition, when the excavator hit the column in one go, it collapsed. They have also reported their own victimization, saying, 'We did not do it, we did not break any columns, it happened because it was adjacent.' They are trying to shift the blame off themselves. Right now, we are victims." he said.
The official from the demolition company stated that he did not want to provide information regarding the issue.
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