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
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.

Freeland's green economy spending aimed at competing with U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
opinion | The gun control debate in America has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar? New research suggests maybe not
Stonehenge's purpose has long been a mystery, with some researchers proposing that it may have been an ancient solar calendar. But now, new analysis suggests the calendar theory is unsubstantiated.
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
‘Using waste material makes sense’: Mysterious artist Junko turns trash into giant sculptures
A mysterious, Montreal-based street artist named Junko is generating buzz in Metro Vancouver with futuristic, bug-like sculptures made from old car parts, scrap metal and tossed out shoes.
New research finds subtle brain changes in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients
A new peer-reviewed study from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Brain Connectivity has found individualized brain fingerprints which can help diagnose early Alzheimer's disease.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.