Glitch in system marks Turkish quake survivor dead

by Muzaffer Cagliyaner

OSMANIYE, Türkiye (AA) – Halil Yilmaz, 48, a survivor of this year's devastating earthquakes in Türkiye, discovered he had been declared dead when tried to access a state website.

“I’m not able to pay my social security premium payment or visit a hospital for health checks. I can't do any transactions at government offices," said Yilmaz, who is a resident of Osmaniye, one of the provinces in the south which were hit by the twin earthquakes on Feb.6.

He has filed a petition in the court challenging the move.

"When the law officers vet my identity in their system, I show them the petition," he said.

Yilmaz further said the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) transferred 100,000 Turkish liras ($5,000) to his wife's bank account as part of the government's compensation for the victims of the earthquakes. The family returned the payment, he said.

“I am waiting for the result of my petition. I hope I can return to my normal life as soon as possible," Yilmaz said.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck numerous Turkish provinces, taking over 50,000 lives.

Around 14 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes as well as many others in northern Syria.

* Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul