Turkey Marks 2nd Anniversary of Devastating Earthquakes

The initial tremor, a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, rattled the region in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2023, only to be followed by a second, equally calamitous 7.6 magnitude quake at 1:24 p.m. the same day. The disaster affected more than 13.5 million people, according to official records.

In remembrance, thousands have called for gatherings across the 11 affected provinces at precisely 4:17 a.m. — the exact moment the first quake struck.

In Pazarcık, the district at the epicenter of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, residents gathered in front of the Clock Tower, which has remained stopped at 4.17 a.m.

In Hatay, one of the hardest-hit provinces, representatives from the three Abrahamic religions offered prayers as part of the commemoration ceremony.

Red carnations were later thrown into the Orontes River, known as the Asi River in Turkey, in memory of those who lost their lives.

Schools in severely impacted cities, particularly Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, will suspend classes for a day, allowing students to partake in commemorative ceremonies.

Meanwhile, mourners have placed flowers and lit candles at sites of former buildings that bore the brunt of the destruction, honoring those who once resided there.

 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared a message on X Thursday honoring the victims of the earthquakes, praying for mercy on their souls.

"From day one, we united as a state and a people, saying 'we are one,' and never once withdrew our support from the earthquake-affected regions," he said.

He pledged continued rebuilding efforts, saying they would proceed with "unwavering determination, hard work, and resilience" until every citizen has a safe home.

Throughout the week, bereaved families have visited cemeteries en masse, paying their respects to the victims. Local media have poignantly documented tokens of remembrance left at children's graves — stuffed toys and tiny garments serving as silent testaments to their absence.

The earthquake wrought unparalleled devastation, with debris removal alone spanning months. Despite ongoing reconstruction efforts, a portion of the displaced population continues to endure life in temporary container settlements.

While Kahramanmaraş was the epicenter, Hatay — an ancient city steeped in history — suffered the most extensive ruin, with nearly one in two buildings either collapsed or severely damaged.

Beyond the toll on human lives, the catastrophe inflicted profound harm on cultural heritage, reducing some centuries-old landmarks to rubble.

Two years on, restoration efforts persisted across dozens of museums, religious edifices and palatial structures. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has now included Antakya, a historic district of Hatay, in its 2025 list of the world’s most endangered sites, underscoring the seismic devastation’s enduring scars.

Perhaps the most pivotal dimension of the tragedy has been the legal reckoning over structurally unsound buildings, long flagged by experts as vulnerable in seismically active zones.

The public and media alike have closely followed numerous lawsuits, foremost among them the case of the Grand İsias Hotel, where a visiting volleyball team from Turkish Cyprus died. The hotel owner received a jail term of 18 years and five months.

Families of victims, many of whom later established advocacy groups, have staged demonstrations outside courthouses, demanding accountability from contractors and developers.

According to the Justice Ministry, 2,310 investigations have been launched in relation to the earthquakes.

Indictments have been filed in 1,491 cases, leading to public trials. Of these, 149 cases have reached a verdict, resulting in prison sentences for 189 individuals.

Meanwhile, 1,342 cases remain ongoing at the first-instance court level, involving 1,850 defendants, 193 of whom are currently in pretrial detention.

In the immediate aftermath, the nation mobilized en masse to rescue those trapped beneath the ruins and provide shelter and essential aid to survivors.

Iconic moments of solidarity emerged, etching themselves into collective memory — among them, the evacuation of 16 infants, some unnamed and unaccompanied, airlifted to the capital Ankara on an official government aircraft.

The Family and Social Services Ministry has since worked to reunite the majority of the 1,912 children separated from their families due to the disaster.

Source: HDN