B.C. woman loses six family members in earthquake in Turkey

A B.C. woman who has lost family members in the earthquake in Turkey said she’s turning her grief into action.

Nural Sumbultepe said she received the horrifying news that six of her family members were killed in her hometown of Iskenderun in Turkey in the 7.8 earthquake that shook the region.

“I basically lost half of my family in this earthquake,” Sumbultepe said. “I lost six members of my core family.”

2:50 Burnaby search and rescue team heading to Turkey to aid in earthquake response

A brother, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, a nephew, his wife and their infant son all were lost for Sumbultepe.

“They were all in the same building, and they passed away. It was a very tall building, probably one of the tallest in Iskenderun,” she told Global News.

In the depths of her grief, Sumbultepe feels compelled to share her story to draw aid and attention to the hardest-hit regions she says will continue to need for years to come.

“There are lots of bodies under the rubble. And their loved ones won’t rest until their bodies are found and buried. And after that, there’s much more work to do,” Sumbultepe said.

This is why Sumbultepe plans to leave Vancouver for Turkey when it’s safe to do so.

“It’s too late for my family, that’s for sure. But I want to do something for the region,” she said.

Other B.C. residents have banded together at a warehouse in Vancouver. They have gathered thousands of pounds of supplies to send back to Turkey to help.

The group residents created an Instagram account, @helpturkeyvancouver, and contacted the Turkish Consulate General, Taylan Tokmak, in Vancouver to kick things off.

“Turkish people in Vancouver organized very quickly,” he said.

“In one day they collected about one tonne of supplies. Globally, we are trying to coordinate our efforts and all the embassies to see what is needed now and what is needed in the long run. We have to focus on keeping the survivors alive.”