Two teachers who lost their spouses and children in the devastating earthquakes that struck southeastern Türkiye in 2023 have started a new chapter together, getting married in a heartfelt ceremony in Gaziantep’s Islahiye district.
Mehmet Aydın (46), a school principal in Gaziantep's Nurdağı district and Ayşe Örsdemir (42), a physical education teacher from Osmaniye, both lost their families during the magnitude-7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on Feb. 6, 2023. The quakes, among the deadliest in Türkiye's modern history, struck in the early hours of the morning and again later the same day, flattening buildings across 11 provinces and killing over 50,000 people. The twin tremors were caused by ruptures along the East Anatolian Fault, a major tectonic boundary where the Anatolian and Arabian plates meet.
Aydın was trapped under rubble for 72 hours before being rescued, but tragically lost his wife and two children. Örsdemir, who was in Osmaniye during the quake, also lost her husband and two children. Their paths crossed in 2024 during a Teacher’s Day event organized by MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, which honored 11 teachers affected by the disaster. Sharing their grief during the ceremony, the pair discovered a deep emotional connection built on their mutual loss.
Four months after meeting, they decided to marry. Their wedding was held at the multipurpose hall of Pınarbaşı Primary School in Islahiye, where colleagues, friends and family gathered to witness the occasion. Islahiye District Governor Mehmet Soylu and District Director of National Education Mustafa Çetin attended the event and served as witnesses to the ceremony.
After signing the marriage documents, the couple cut their wedding cake and posed for photos. The event, filled with both joy and poignant remembrance, symbolized hope and resilience in the aftermath of a national tragedy.
