Turkey grieves on first earthquake anniversary that left thousands dead

‘No hope for future’Erdogan has been pledging to rebuild the region and urging national unity, a message he repeated on Tuesday.”Such great disasters and great sufferings are also turning points in which the strength of the unity, solidarity, and brotherhood of nations is tested,” Erdogan said in his social media post.”Thank God, our nation has successfully passed this painful and historical test,” he said, adding that his government would not rest “until we build and revitalise our cities and bring the last citizen whose house was destroyed or ruined to a safe home.”But lingering resentment at both Erdogan’s conservative government and opposition politicians who oversee more liberal cities, such as Antakya, runs deep.Health Minister Fahrettin Koca was booed loudly by the Antakya crowd as he prepared to speak at one pre-dawn event.And a large and angry crowd gathered around Antakya’s opposition mayor, Lutfu Savas, when he made a brief appearance.”Lutfu, resign!” they chanted, while security guards tried to keep a safe cordon around the mayor.”A year has passed and the city is still in ruins,” said Esat Gul, 19, who, like others, is furious at officials for awarding building permits for buildings that toppled like houses of cards in the quake.”I no longer have much hope for the future,” the student said.



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