The massive piles of damaged vehicles removed from the wreckage after the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes in the Antakya and Samandağ districts of Hatay are quickly becoming a "vehicle cemetery," another sad reminder of the disaster's widespread devastation.
Many of the vehicles towed to the three designated sites Antakya and Samandağ districts of Hatay were badly damaged in the earthquake areas, with some still shouldering the remains of concrete fragments from the wreckage.
The parking lots are protected by police and military personnel to ensure the towed property remains secure until it can be claimed by its rightful owners. Most were severely damaged. Those that can be repaired can be claimed, or towed to a garage for repairs, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported Thursday. Vehicles removed from the wreckage are still being removed from the rubble and towed to the sites.
Meanwhile, local craftspeople, owners or workers in car repair shops stated that they reopened their businesses as quickly as possible to help people cope in these difficult days.
"It is very difficult to heal the wounds of the big earthquake in Kahramanmaraş. But as tradespeople and craftspeople, we are trying to restart our businesses as soon as possible and get the city back on its feet to help our people. We are trying to help as much as we can in this business,'' Ali Açıksarı, who runs a store in Kahramanmaraş, noted.
''Since there are no keys in some of the vehicles that come out of the wreckage, they are usually towed to the municipality's parking lot,'' he added. ''People who find or get duplicates made of their keys can claim their cars and bring them to us. The intensity of the (repair) process has not started fully yet but we are ready to provide more support,'' Açıksarı said.
Açıksarı also stated that his business was damaged due to the earthquake and therefore he could not reopen his business for the first two weeks. But as soon as they were able to repair the damage, fix the electrical issues and get the required permits, they started working again.
"I wish health and well-being to all of us. People's psychology needs to improve as soon as possible and our city needs to get back on its feet as soon as possible,'' he concluded.