North Cyprus is silent
The miracles continue; an eight-month-old baby with nothing more than a broken arm after falling through five floors, two teenage brothers who survived licking a tin of protein powder, a 26-year-old teacher buried for more than eight days. These are among the few survivors still being raised from the apocalyptic cityscapes of earthquake Turkey.
Every life saved at this late and nigh impossible hour shines a light in the darkness, but, in truth, but little comfort to the people of North Cyprus. As the world now knows, this country has lost 39 people to the disaster, most of them being a teenage volleyball squad.
The number may be small in terms of the overall death toll, but for North Cyprus it marks a major national tragedy. Thousands have turned out for agonising group funerals. Official mourning continues until the end of the month. All music has been cancelled. Clubs and bars lie silent and the restaurants that usually rely on Valentine’s Day to boost their winter takings were depleted.
President Ersin Tatar, appearing on Britain’s GB News, said: “We are going through bad times, the worst of times. …Our hearts can’t take it.”
To help ease the pain – and add to the outstanding physical and financial support already displayed to Turkey, North Cyprus is planning to build a “village” of 1000 temporary homes in the earthquake zone and name it after their “Angel Champions.” Other memorials will surely follow.
