Türkiye mourns losses from devastating Marmara earthquake 24 years on

Twenty-four years ago today, Türkiye woke up to one of the biggest and most destructive earthquakes in the country’s history.

Moments past 3 am in the morning on August 17, 1999, a cataclysmic force surged through the land for 45 seconds, leaving in its wake a trail of devastation, heartbreak, and an unending sorrow.

The epicentre of the powerful 7.4 magnitude quake was the Golcuk district of Kocaeli, but it was felt all the way from the capital Ankara to the Aegean city of Izmir, where people flooded parks and other open spaces to spend the night in fear of any following earthquakes.

According to official numbers, a total of 17,480 people died, with the highest death toll from Kocaeli - the city that suffered the heaviest destruction from the tremors - where 9,477 lives were lost.

Aside from Kocaeli, 3,891 people lost their lives in Sakarya, 2,504 in Yalova, 454 in İstanbul, 270 in Bolu, 33 in Eskişehir, 10 in Bursa, and 3 in Zonguldak. 838 others were transferred to other cities for treatment of their injuries and died there.

43,953 people were injured, while approximately 16 million people were affected.

Pain is still felt

Today, over two decades since the Marmara earthquake, the aftershocks of grief, loss, and trauma continue to ripple through the lives of Turkish people.

This year’s commemorations are especially grief stricken as the country’s south was struck by massive twin earthquakes on February 6, one of magnitude 7.7, followed by another of magnitude 7.6.

The quakes, epicentred in Kahramanmaras, shattered several other provinces including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The scale and destruction was even bigger than the Marmara earthquake. More than 50,000 lives were lost, and over 100,000 injured. Families were torn apart, dreams shattered.

The images that emerged from the wreckage were nothing short of apocalyptic: crumbled homes, mangled vehicles, and grieving faces etched with anguish.

The quakes that jolted the land had also brought back haunting memories of August 1999.

66,441 houses and 10,901 businesses were destroyed in the tremors that left around 600,000 people homeless.

The economic fallout was estimated to be around $6.5 billion.

Türkiye heals wounds

Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) was created after the devastating earthquake in 1999.

While its sorrow lingers as though no time passed, and those lost will never be forgotten, Türkiye healed its wounds and rebuilt from the destruction of the Marmara earthquake, emerging stronger.

That same process of remembrance and healing also began in the wake of the February 6 quakes. Strangers became saviors, and neighbours became lifelines. Solidarity and empathy rose over the rubbles as a beacon of light. The country immediately began to build back.

Today, 24 years later, and in the aftermath of a disaster that defies comprehension, the legacy of the 1999 Marmara earthquake is a testament to the resilience of the Turkish people.