On the night of Monday, Turkey and Syria were hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8.
The earthquake is referred to as the biggest disaster in Turkey since 1939, and the region has been hit hard.
So far, the earthquake has killed more than 11,000 people, and the World Health Organization (WHO) fears that as many as 20,000 have lost their lives.
Program leader Selda Ekiz (38) follows the gloomy developments from Norway. She is named after the Turkish singer Selda Bağcan, and her parents immigrated from Turkey in the 70s.
– It is absolutely terrible to sit and see all the destruction. You know there are many families buried under the building blocks, and help is not getting through well enough. In addition, it is cold there, and those who have survived are in hell.
She emphasizes that her family is not in this part of the country, but that she has several friends in the area.
– I know they are safe, but I haven’t called so as not to burden the network, she says.
She encourages everyone to contribute whatever help they can.
– Fortunately, there are many organizations that you can send money to, so that those of us who are not there can still contribute with help. I encourage everyone to do that.
– I am heartbroken
Another with close ties to Turkey is Princess Märtha Louise’s fiance Durek Verrett (48).
He has previously lived in the country, and refers to Turkey as “my home”.
In a live segment on Instagram on Wednesday morning, he encourages everyone to send warm thoughts and love to those affected.
DRAMATIC: Durek Verrett asks people to light a candle for those affected in Turkey. He himself has lived in the country during several dramatic earthquakes. Photo: Aleksander Myklebust / TV 2
– I fell head over heels for Turkey, with the country’s people, food, culture and history. Everything about Turkey is divine and spiritual, says Verrett.
He goes on to say that he himself has lived in the country during several dramatic earthquakes.
– I actually had an earthquake bag placed by my door, just in case. We had an earthquake where people jumped out of windows. I lived in a building that was very tall and once we had an earthquake where the walls started shaking and the building started to lean.
He asks people to light a candle for those affected tonight.
– Earthquakes are a reality in Turkey. And we have just seen one, where many are trapped under rocks, there are many who have lost their loved ones, and many are wounded. It breaks my heart. I have so much love for Turkey and I just want us to send our love to those affected. Light a candle, pray for the many who are in this right now. It will mean a lot to me, he says.
– His countrymen lie in ruins
In the program “Boundless love” on TVNorge, we got to know the couple Anne Marit Yuvali (62), better known as “Annema”, and Turkish Dündar (28).
They got married at the start of the pandemic, and now dream of him getting a residence permit in Norway.
Despite the almost 34-year age difference between the couple, their love is strong. Yuvali’s better half is in Turkey, and she finds it difficult to think about the situation he now finds himself in.
– Fortunately, Dündar and his family live in a region where there are no earthquakes. They are working hard to collect money, clothes, blankets and the like for those affected, she says to God kveld Norge.
She says that her boyfriend is naturally very affected by what is now happening in his home country.
– It affects him very strongly that his countrymen lie under ruins. It’s really awful. I have been very worried, but fortunately Dündar is always thinking of me and has updated me frequently. A message came very quickly that he was perfectly fine.
Now Annema hopes that the process of getting her boyfriend to Norway can be speeded up.
– Me and Dündar have been together for three years, and it really is time for him to come to Norway. At least now that this is going on in Turkey. In March, the third season of “Grenseløs In Love” premieres, and I hope he can come to the premiere party. We should definitely be safe together.
She further says that on the same day she received an e-mail from UDI, in which they write that they have moved forward the decision on the application from June to March.
– So this is progress, she says.
– Dündar is very unhappy at the moment because of what is happening in Turkey, but he was happy about the email from UDI. We just have to latch on to everything that can be positive, she adds.
