12.02.2025 11:40
After the 7.7 magnitude earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş, Ömer Faruk Gürbüz, who was rescued from a collapsed building while reporters were live broadcasting during the 7.6 magnitude aftershock in Elbistan district, shared his experiences. Gürbüz said, "I was trapped under the rubble for 19 hours. I lost consciousness. I was trapped under the debris with my wife's lifeless body on my arm."
After the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, centered in Kahramanmaraş, DHA Kayseri Regional Chief Olcay Düzgün and reporter Furkan Kavuklu went to the Elbistan district. During the broadcast, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 centered in Elbistan occurred. The reporters, caught live during the earthquake, recorded the collapse of many buildings. Ömer Faruk Gürbüz and his family, who entered his aunt's ground floor apartment to sleep just minutes before this earthquake, were trapped under the rubble of the building that was captured on camera as it collapsed. Ömer Faruk Gürbüz, his mother Hikmet Purcuklu, his 8-month-pregnant wife Gözde Gürbüz, his 9-year-old brother Halil Buğra Gürbüz, his aunt, and cousins waited to be rescued. 19 hours after the second earthquake, Ömer Faruk Gürbüz was rescued by relatives who were outside, while his mother Hikmet Purçuklu, his wife Gözde Gürbüz, and his brother Halil Buğra Gürbüz lost their lives. After his treatment, Gürbüz, who started working as a truck driver, said that being alone helped him due to the psychological effects of the earthquake.
"WE WERE TRAPPED UNDER THE RUBBLE WITHOUT EVEN BEING ABLE TO LIFT OUR HEADS" Describing the process he went through, Gürbüz said, "I was trapped under the rubble for 19 hours. I was with my mother, my wife, and my brother during the first earthquake. We survived the first earthquake. We had to enter my aunt Nurten's house because we couldn't stand the cold during the second earthquake. Since the house was on the ground floor, we thought we would be safe. About 12 people, including my aunts and cousins, entered the house. Once inside, everyone lay down to rest. We were cold and tired. While lying down, another earthquake occurred. We were trapped under the rubble without even being able to lift our heads. I don't remember anything after that. I lost consciousness. I was left under the rubble with my wife's lifeless body on my arm. I wouldn't wish the psychological state of that moment on my worst enemy. My cousins came to help and said, 'We will rescue you, stay strong.' I was having a hard time breathing. They first took me to Elbistan State Hospital, then sent me to Kayseri. After Kayseri, I went to Ankara and then back to Kayseri. Right now, my left arm is in a state of collapse. My left arm doesn't function. It has just started to recover," he expressed.
"DUE TO MY PSYCHOLOGY, I WANT TO BE ALONE" Stating that his dream is to drive a truck to European countries, Gürbüz said, "I transitioned to the truck sector. I love this job. I wanted to do it before as well. It has come to pass now. Two years after the earthquake, I continue my life as a truck driver. In the future, I want to be a truck driver in Europe. Due to my psychology, I want to be alone. I thought of driving a truck as the best job for that reason. My 8-month-pregnant wife, my 9-year-old brother, and my mother passed away in the earthquake. I am grateful to everyone. Everyone mobilized separately. After a while of being out from the rubble, while researching on YouTube, I saw that the building I was trapped in had collapsed. I had seen it before, but I didn't remember it due to the psychological effects of the earthquake," he said.
"HE WAS NEVER HAPPY TO BE RESCUED" Haydar Erden, one of the cousins who rescued Ömer Faruk Gürbüz from the rubble, said, "The earthquake we were caught in last night was terrifying. I was sleeping at home. At that time, I was engaged. My fiancée woke me up. We quickly got up and left. I am a tradesman in Elbistan's industrial zone. I went to the shop there with my brother. It was around noon. We took our valuable belongings from home and left. After the earthquake, we received news that my milk brother Ömer and my aunts were trapped under the rubble. We put in a lot of effort. I first rescued one of my aunts. Then we rescued my cousin İsa. We tried to rescue my milk brother. It took about 19 hours. After that, we reached his mother's lifeless body. A few days later, we found his brother's lifeless body. Similarly, three days later, we were able to reach his wife's lifeless body. It was difficult. After Ömer was rescued, he never expressed happiness about being saved; he said things like, 'My wife is dead, why am I alive?' May God not let anyone experience this pain," he said.