Winnipeg family mourning loss of relatives from Turkiye earthquake
A Winnipeg family is in mourning after two relatives were killed by an earthquake that caused destruction across southeast Turkiye and neighbouring Syria.
Allan Emre said his wife’s niece and her baby were killed in the Turkish city of Adiyaman. Their bodies were found in the rubble following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday morning.
“So far in our family, we have two deaths, and we still haven’t communicated with the entire family yet. It’s devastating,” Allan said in an interview on Monday.
He added his mother-in-law was trapped in her unit for eight hours, but was eventually rescued.
Allan said his mother-in-law is currently doing all right; however, she’s without shelter in the cold.
“Thank goodness she’s safe now,” he said.
Allan added he still has many family members he hasn’t heard from, and doesn’t know whether they’re alive.
“Even though they’re in the district, because of the chaos, communication has been very low,” he said.
Nametullah Emre, Allan’s brother, said it’s hard seeing what’s going on Turkiye, while being in Manitoba, because you want to be able to help.
“You look at the news, you look at everything. People are suffering there, everybody’s begging for help, but basically, there’s no help there,” he said.
Allan said they are working to bring awareness to the situation, and have started a fundraiser through GoFundMe.
“I think this might be the most safest, easiest and quickest way to help them out,” he said.
“The transportation right now is a huge problem. The airports are affected, the bridges are affected, the hospitals are affected, so it’s difficult.”
The death toll from the earthquake has passed 5,300 and is expected to rise.
- With files from CTV's Renee Rodgers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Updated advisory urges Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria, leave if possible
Ottawa is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria and to consider leaving the country if it's safe to do so.
Trump calls for 'immediate ceasefire' in Ukraine after meeting Zelenskyy in Paris
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, shortly after a meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders, claiming Kyiv 'would like to make a deal' to end the more than 1,000-day war.
Baby found dead in south Edmonton parking lot: police
Police are investigating the death of an infant in south Edmonton.
Digging themselves out: With Santa Claus parade cancelled, Londoners make best of snowy situation
Londoners continue to dig themselves out from this week’s massive snowstorm.
Quebec Premier meets with Trump, Zelenskyy and Musk during Paris trip
Quebec Premier François Legault met up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk while visiting Paris this weekend.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly focused on re-election, doesn’t explicitly rule out future Liberal leadership bid
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly insisted she supports Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and is focused on her own re-election, but wouldn't explicitly rule out a future Liberal leadership bid, in an interview on CTV's Question Period airing Sunday.
Jubilation and gunfire as Syrians celebrate the end of the Assad family's half-century rule
Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, putting an end to the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule but raising questions about the future of the country and the wider region.
Superior Court authorizes class action against junior hockey league over abuse of minors
The Quebec Superior Court authorized the institution of a class action aimed at compensating all minors who suffered abuse while playing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Longer careers in hockey are linked to greater risk of CTE: study
The largest study ever done on the brains of male hockey players has found the odds of getting a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated traumatic brain injuries increases with each year played.