IHH teams in the area set up a regular tent for Olgun’s family and met their needs for food and other aid supplies.
Quake victims in Van, who lost their houses in the quake and staying in tents now, are grappling with severe weather conditions as the temperature decreased to 10 degrees below zero and snow covered much of the region over the weekend. Families staying in nylon tents area affected more by the cold.
Cold weather has begun to claim lives among the members of the families staying in nylon tents. Olgun who failed to endure cold became the first victim of the weather conditions in the region. He died from pneumonia after he caught cold. Olgun who was sent from one hospital to another lost his life in a hospital in Batman. Olgun’s father Enver and 11 family members are still struggling to survive in a nylon tent.
It has turned out that the little boy had been living in a nylon tent for 18 days before his death. The father said he set up a nylon tent for his 12-member family because he was unable to get any of the tents delivered by the state or relief agencies.
“We have been living in a nylon tent since the quake. I sent a petition to the authorities for many times asking for a tent but they refused to give me a tent. So, I bought several meters of nylon and set up tent for my family. Cold is felt heavily in a nylon tent. My son was a disabled child. After he caught cold, I first took him to the mobile hospital in Erciş, doctors told me that he should be hospitalized at an intensive care unit. They sent us to Bitlis and then to Batman. My son lost his life in Batman. I buried him in Erciş. Now, I and my other family members shiver. May God help us,” said the father.
Following the emergence of the tragic story of the Olgun family, IHH has taken action to offer a helping hand for the family and provided a tent for them. After the establishment of the tent, IHH teams provided food and clothing to the members of the Olgun family. The family thanked the IHH for the aid offered by the foundation.
In the meantime, it has turned out that a total of 7,500 people have been affected by the earthquake in Akçıra, Yarımada, Kavuştuk, Arin, Yukarı Süphan, Aşağı Süphan, Heybetli, Örentaş, Kara Şeyh, Akyazı, Pargut, Karşıyaka, Gümüşdöven, Harmantepe, Kömürlü, Yolağzı, Erikbağı and Aydınlar towns which are located between Van’s Erciş and Bitlis’ Adilcevaz districts. There is urgent need for 1,150 tents in the region.
