Freisingers lose relatives in earthquakes: "It hurts to tell about it"

Citizens of the Freising district also lost relatives as a result of the quake.

But there are hardly any flights to the region.

Many are desperate.

Freising

– Ali Tiryakioglu is the head of the Atalya travel agency in Freising.

The wires are glowing there at the moment.

There are countless flight requests from Turkish citizens who want to fly to the earthquake area to visit or look for relatives - or who simply want to help on site.

For Ali Tiryakioglu, many of his customers are good friends - and fate has hit some of them hard.

They mourn the deaths of relatives and there are no flights to fly to the affected region.

"Words just aren't enough to describe the scale of this catastrophe, this misery."

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With him, the wires are running hot: Ali Tiryakioglu, head of the Atalya travel agency.

© Lehmann

"Telling about it hurts," says Tiryakioglu, "one of my clients lost seven relatives.

I tried to find a flight for him somewhere to Turkey, but to no avail".

Only the city of Adana can be reached with civil aircraft, but the flights are fully booked.

Other airports can only be flown to by aid organizations or have been destroyed by the earthquake.

Earthquake in Turkey: The parents lie under a ten-storey house

Customers from Neufahrn and Moosburg have also lost close relatives, reports Ali Tiryakioglu, and are completely desperate.

"A customer reported that his parents were lying under the rubble of a 10-story house.

There is no more hope for them."

Like many Turkish fellow citizens, he too was sentenced to do nothing.

From afar, they receive messages that add up to a picture of horror: "The affected area is huge," says Tiryakioglu, "and all these people can no longer go into their homes.

And that in the freezing cold - while we sleep here in our warm beds".

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Earthquake during TV switch: reporter helps little girl

© picture alliance/dpa/AP/Khalil Hamra

A Turkish family of five from Freising is currently sleeping in their car.

Two weeks ago she flew to the earthquake area to visit relatives.

They fled the house during the earthquake and survived.

But their passports are on the fifth floor and the building is closed due to the danger of collapse.

"No return flight without a passport," regrets Ali Tiryakioglu, "the family doesn't come home anymore."

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He asks for donations: Ömer Korkmaz, Chairman of the Islamic Community

© Lehmann

Concern after the earthquake: Many have lost their homes

The Islamic community in Freising is also deeply affected.

Chairman Ömer Korkmaz reports that community members made many phone calls to the earthquake region where relatives live: "Apparently almost everyone survived," reports the chairman of the Islamic community, "but many lost their apartments and houses.

It's a difficult time."

Donations urgently needed - collection in Freising and via Paypal

After their Friday prayers at 1 p.m., the Islamic community collects donations directly at the mosque (Freising, Wippenhauser Straße 3).

Ömer Korkmaz: "It's about financial help, not donations in kind".

The donations are sent to the needy via the Germany-based aid organization Hasene eV.

The Islamic Community Freising has also set up a Paypal donation account: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8RpGoS6VuL.

You can find more current news from the district of Freising at Merkur.de/Freising.

List of rubrics: © picture alliance/dpa/AP/Khalil Hamra