He held the hand of the deceased daughter for days under the rubble: the father tells the nightmare of the earthquake

AFP

A few days ago, the photo of a man holding a girl's hand under the rubble was circulated everywhere on the Internet, touching the hearts of the whole world. The father in the photo is named Mesut Hançer, he is 49 years old and unfortunately, he has revealed that his daughter, Irmak, 15 years old did not survive the terrible earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, causing 23,000+ deaths so far.

Mesut shared the nightmare he experienced by saying that he dug with his hands to save his 15-year-old daughter, but she failed to survive. But even though his daughter had passed away, Mesut refused to let go of her hand and be separated from her.

In the interview given on his daughter's grave, the father said that he was working in the bakery when the earthquake happened. He said the wife and other children were safe and sound, while the 15-year-old had gone to her grandmother's house, as relatives had arrived and she wanted to be with them.

"I was working in a bakery when the earth shook. I called the woman and she told me that the two girls and the boy were safe, while the little girl didn't sleep in the house that night, but on the sofa at her grandmother's house," said the 49-year-old.
 
"I got him on the phone and he didn't answer", he added and said that he immediately went to the ruins, where he prayed to God that his family and house would be complete and that there would be no injuries.
 
The photographer of "AFP", Adem Altan, who took the photo and then it went around the network, also spoke about the touching moment. "While I was taking the picture, it was so sad. I kept repeating to myself: "What unbearable pain". I couldn't stop crying," said the photographer.
 
"I was speechless", he continued and then revealed that he asked the father for his name and that of the deceased girl.
 
Through this photo, all the pain of the fatal earthquake and the people who are suffering its consequences were transmitted. The situation in Turkey and Syria remains chaotic and more casualties and injuries are expected. Until now, numerous measures are being taken in Turkey to remove the injured from the ruins, while in Syria the situation is serious, as the north-west of the country is under the occupation of the rebels.

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