Two years after the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023, families of missing victims are still searching for their loved ones, grappling with unanswered questions and an agonizing wait for closure, Turkish Minute reported.
The twin earthquakes, which registered magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, caused massive destruction across 11 provinces, leaving at least 53,725 people dead according to official figures. However, an unknown number of people remain missing, their fates obscured by chaotic rescue efforts, bureaucratic delays and what grieving families describe as government negligence.
A mother’s search for her missing son
Sema Güleç, a resident of İskenderun, has spent the last two years searching for her 24-year-old son, Mustafa Batuhan Güleç. He was reportedly taken to a hospital in a white vehicle after being rescued from the rubble, but his family has been unable to locate him.
“We checked every hospital, every morgue and every temporary shelter, but there’s no trace of him,” she told local media. DNA samples have been submitted, databases have been searched and officials have promised to help, but Mustafa’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Güleç is one of many parents desperately seeking answers. After exhausting all official channels, families like hers formed the February 6 Earthquake Missing Persons Platform, a group pushing authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the missing. Despite assurances from the Interior Ministry, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and law enforcement agencies, the families say little progress has been made.
Families left in limbo
For the relatives of missing victims, the pain is compounded by uncertainty. Without confirmation of death, they cannot grieve, hold funerals or even obtain official recognition of their loss.
In Adıyaman, Vesfa Aktoprak has been searching for her brother, Halil Aktoprak, a lawyer who was last seen in the rubble of the Zümrüt apartment building. “We have no grave to visit. For two years, we have been living in limbo,” she told the Gazete Duvar news website.
Authorities released photos of unidentified bodies in an effort to assist families, but discrepancies in record-keeping have made the process frustrating. Aktoprak found images of her brother among the photos taken after the earthquake, but when she cross-checked the reference numbers with mass grave records, they did not match.
“I just want my brother’s remains to be found. I want to lay him to rest with my family,” she said.
Children among the missing
A particularly distressing aspect of the crisis is the number of children still unaccounted for. According to official figures, at least 30 children remain missing, but opposition lawmakers believe the number could be higher.
Among them is 4-year-old Emir Gültekin, who disappeared after his apartment block in Antakya collapsed. His parents and brother were found dead, but there was no sign of Emir. His aunt, Nurşen Kısa, has spent two years searching for him, visiting orphanages, police stations and hospitals across the country.
“We thought we could find him, or at least a piece of his clothing, some remains, some sort of a trace. But there were none. Neither in the debris nor among the bodies,” BBC quoted Kısa as saying.
Despite repeated requests, the government has refused to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate missing children. Allegations of child abductions surfaced in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, but officials denied the claims, attributing the disappearances to the chaotic conditions of the rescue and relocation efforts.
The government’s response
Three months after the earthquakes, authorities acknowledged 297 missing persons reports, including 86 children. By late 2024 the government revised the number down to 75, but families and human rights groups argue that the true figure is much higher.
AFAD has since formed a commission to investigate the cases, using DNA matching and facial recognition technology to identify bodies buried without proper documentation. However, these efforts have moved slowly, leaving families frustrated.
Lawmakers from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) accuse the government of mishandling the search. “There is no transparency. Some families have been forced to declare their missing loved ones as dead just to remove their names from the records,” said CHP lawmaker Nermin Yıldırım Kara.
For many families, legal barriers add to their ordeal. Declaring someone deceased in Turkey requires a court ruling, which can take years if no body is found.
Justice and accountability
In addition to seeking answers about missing persons, families are pursuing legal action against those they believe are responsible for the earthquakes’ high death toll. Many blame faulty construction, lax oversight and government negligence.
One of the most high-profile cases is the collapse of the Rönesans Residence, a luxury apartment complex in Antakya that was reduced to rubble, killing over 300 people. More than 50 residents are still missing.
During a recent hearing, the building’s inspectors and contractors insisted they followed regulations. However, victims’ families argue that officials who approved the construction bear responsibility.
In Kahramanmaraş, where Ebrar Sitesi collapsed, killing 1,400 people, a rare breakthrough came when a court approved an investigation into eight public officials. Families see this as progress but remain skeptical about whether justice will be served.
The scars of the earthquake remain visible across Turkey’s southern provinces. Many survivors have left, but those who stayed continue to live with the wreckage, both physical and emotional.
For families of the missing, every missed phone call, every knock on the door reignite a flicker of hope.
