Earthquake: Comedian Kaya Yanar mourns eight deaths in her family

comedian Kaya Yanar He claims to have lost many of his relatives in the devastating earthquake that struck the Turkish-Syrian border area. “Unfortunately, we have a total of eight deaths in the extended family, including three teenagers,” the 49-year-old German with Turkish ancestry wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Escape from the rubble

Some family members are still in Antakya to take care of the dead, and most of them have left the city. “There is nothing else for them there,” she said. The city of Antakya was one of the most earthquake-hit cities in Turkey.

Yanar’s mother organized accommodation for 16 of her relatives in Antakya. “There they sleep like sardines on the floor. But these are problems of well-being. They are warm, there is food and they have a roof over their heads,” the artist wrote. According to Yanar, relatives would cry uncontrollably or stare into space, and children would continue to cry at night because nightmares were waking them up. An uncle from Antakya, now in Germany, recounted shattered bodies and cries from under the rubble. “Sheer horror.”

Yanar, who was born in Frankfurt, is grateful to his parents for coming to Germany from Antakya decades ago. “Even if they had their problems, it would have been very easy for me to get involved in the community. How was my life in Antioch? I probably would have spent the last few days screaming for help under the ruins of my hometown.” Despite his broken heart, his tears of sadness mixed with tears of gratitude for his willingness. to help, according to the 49-year-old. Yenar announced that he will continue to fundraise and donate the money already raised to Doctors Without Borders.