Türkiye Earthquake Anniversary: February 6 marks one-year anniversary of catastrophic earthquakes that killed over 50,000 people
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Adile Oksuz was fortunate to be awake when the earthquake struck Hatay a year ago. Had she and her family stepped outside just moments later, they might have ended up under this rubble.

ADILE OKSUZ Earthquake Survivor "Every time I come here, I cry. When the earthquake happened, that place was the bedroom, and here was the entrance. The kitchen was here. We were shaking. We went out from here. I said, 'My son, I'm going to stay here.' He said, 'You can't stay, it's a big earthquake, we will die, because the walls were collapsing on us. I am reliving that moment."

Adile vividly remembers the harrowing moments when the earth trembled beneath them.

ADILE OKSUZ Earthquake Survivor "We came out barefoot, my son went out before me. I couldn't walk much. It felt like something lifted from under our feet, the ground moved, it dropped us, and that's how I fell, like this."

After finding temporary refuge in a tent, the Oksuz family decided to move to their woodshed near a small field. Together, they gather fruit to sell at the local market in town.

ADILE OKSUZ Earthquake Survivor "My husband leaves for the village early. If my husband doesn't work, we would go hungry here. He goes to the market, buys and sells goods, and I also go to help him. I walk there – it's a 15 to 20-minute walk, and my feet hurt. Besides, I have diabetes."

It's been a year, and while some of the debris at their former home's location has been cleared, not all has been removed. What they hoped would be a temporary solution hasn't changed in a year. Their struggle for survival continues with inadequate heating during winter.

SULEYMAN OKSUZ Earthquake Survivor "We want it to be cleaned. We are seeking help from the government, asking for the cleaning of the collapsed house. They left half of the debris and went away. We will build a container, and we will live there. There is no transportation here. It's all mud."

But even as the Oksuz family waits for more support – here in Hatay, where shelter remains an issue, with thousands still waiting for the government to build safe housing – they say they are thankful to be alive. Michal Bardavid, CGTN, Hatay, Turkiye.

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