A Fermanagh woman, living in Turkey, has described how her nephew was buried under rubble for more than two days following the devastating earthquake which hit Turkey and Syria last week.

At the time of going to print, more than 40,000 people had died as a result of the quake – the worst in that region for 200 years.

Fiona O’Connor Surmeli, originally from Belleek but now living in Gumbet, Bodrum said her husband’s family had “lost everything” in the earthquake.

Fiona’s husband, Mehmet, is from Antakya – the capital of Hatay Province, the southernmost province of Turkey.

This is the region that has been hit hardest by the devastating earthquake, with reports that the city has been wiped out after it.

“My husband, Mehmet, is from Antakya, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years.

“We live in Gumbet, Bodrum so were not directly affected ourselves, but Mehmet’s mum and sisters and family all live there.

“Our nephew was rescued after 53 hours under the rubble of their home,” explained Fiona.

“Cem, our nephew who was rescued after 53 hours, is currently in hospital; he has some serious injuries but hopefully in time, he will recover. His sister and mum were rescued after 24 hours with broken bones and bad bruising.”

But while Fiona’s family were lucky to survive, she says there were others in the apartment block who did not make it out alive.

She put into perspective the size of the area affected, and put into context the devastation in Antakya: “In terms of the area affected, I think it’s important to realise the size.

“It’s roughly 110,000 square kilometres –bigger than the island of Ireland, and had approximately 13.5 million people living across the 10 cities affected.

“Antakya is destroyed; any building that’s still standing is too badly damaged to live in, and will have to be knocked. Antakya, known as ‘Antioch’ in the Bible, was a special city. It had all religions living in peace together.

“St. Peter’s Church was built by the Apostles, the first Christian church outside of Bethlehem.”

Fiona and Mehmet are hoping to travel to Antakya this weekend, if possible.

“The situation is terrible – no electricity, no water, no shops. Aid is reaching some areas, but for people without transport life is difficult. There have been problems with the fuel supply, mobile phones are down, and the internet isn’t working.

“Our family have moved out of the area temporarily until power and water are restored; most of them lost everything, and only have the clothes they were wearing.”

A GoFundMe page was set up by Fiona and Mehmet’s friend, Maria McGlade in Belfast, while Fiona added that tents, heaters, generators and food is what is most needed and what they will be hoping to help with when they get out to Antakya.

Meanwhile, Murat Kalbisen, who left Enniskillen on Saturday with supplies for children, arrived in Turkey after a 4,600km drive.

He and his two friends have delivered all of the items which were donated by the people of Fermanagh.

Speaking before he left for Turkey, Murat said he planned to stay a week, and was willing to help in any way he could.

“We will drop it [the aid] off, and if they need anything, we will do it – physically, mentally, whatever they need, we will do it.

“If they need us, we are happy to stay there. At the moment, that is all we can do.”

Meanwhile, there have been events and collections held around Fermanagh since the terrible earthquake struck Turkey and Syria.

Enniskillen Rotary Club held an emergency collection appeal at The Diamond, Enniskillen on Wednesday, while Enniskillen Rangers raised £700 in less than 24 hours which they used to purchase hot water bottles, nappies, baby food and torches, which went with Murat and his friends to Turkey last Saturday.

On Saturday, February 25, Blaney Yoga Retreat Centre is holding a fundraising day for the Turkey and Syria earthquake victims.

For a minimum donation of £40, with all proceeds going directly to raise funds for those affected by the earthquake, people will take part in yoga and movement classes, a guided breath workshop, cold water therapy, and the use of the sauna or hot tub facilities.

For those not able to attend, donations can also be made directly to Blaney Yoga Retreat Centre.

Concern Worldwide will also be holding collections in ASDA today (Thursday) and Friday.