Kriti Mehrotra
When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria in the early hours of February 6, 2023, there was death, destruction, and chaos to the extreme in a way no one can even imagine. That’s because, as explored in ‘Death Without Mercy,’ not only did many buildings collapse, but there was also a paltry level of humanitarian aid owing to the areas hit and the wars going on. Therefore, with this original following the narrative of three individuals, we get a true insight into the way instability can sometimes lead to more than just confusion and disarray.
Fadi Al-Halabi is a Filmmaker Keeping His Loved Ones Memories Alive
Fadi was in Syria documenting the struggle and hope of his people during the revolution and war when the earthquake took over the area by storm. He and his family had already endured a lot of chaos and the siege of Aleppo, so they had fled to Antakya, Turkey, to find refuge not long before. However, none of them could have ever imagined that they would lose the majority of their bloodline, not to the war they feared but a natural disaster they never saw coming. Their residence building was one of the many to collapse during the earthquake, trapping them inside.
As soon as Fadi felt the earthquake in Syria, he rushed outside and helped others in need before contacting his loved ones to see if they made it out okay, too, but he couldn’t even get in touch with them. That’s when he got in a car and rushed to the border, only to be told he couldn’t leave. He had to pull a lot of strings and plead to the guard’s humanity to be let go, but 5 days had already passed by this point. By the time he made it to the city where his loved ones were hoping to build a new life together, their bodies were being recovered. He lost his father, mother, three siblings, their families, cousins, and his entire family – in total, he lost a total of 13 individuals.
Fadi had hoped his mother and youngest sibling somehow made it out since he never saw them, but it turns out they had already been recovered and buried. Since then, the young cinematographer and filmmaker has been dedicating all his time to speaking out against the alleged corruption, evasion of responsibility, and indifference that is faced by many communities in times of crisis. To do so, he currently works with Channel 4 News to ensure real-life stories are told with facts and truth so as to hopefully inspire change. As for his personal life, he seems to be doing his best to move on while keeping his loved ones alive in his heart by focusing on his work and passions of sports, traveling, and reading.
Safa Sayed Issa is Preparing to Welcome Another Child Into This World
Safa Sayed Issa was asleep next to her 40-day-old and 8-year-old when she awoke to the chaos of the earthquake, immediately following which she tried to flee. It was her son Qutaiba who ensured she had his baby brother in her arms, but they separated as the building came down, even though they were holding hands. She still remembers that the last words she heard him say were that he didn’t like earthquakes. Her husband was traveling at the time, so she knew she had to figure out a way to make it out by herself, and she fortunately had space.
She breastfed her young boy whenever needed and then used all her energy to drag herself up while keeping her baby on a pillow and on elevated rocks. In the end, following many grueling hours, some rescue workers/volunteers heard her, and they took care of her son first before coming back for her. She was injured and bleeding, so she was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment, but she had been separated from both her children by this point. In the end, her husband made sure to come to her with concrete answers, and they have since been rebuilding.
Qutaiba had sadly lost his life in the disaster, whereas her young son was taken to a different hospital, treated, and discharged into an orphanage. It did take some effort for them to get custody of their son again, but they eventually did, and since then, they have been doing everything in their power to lead a new life. As per Safa’s own accounts, she is grateful to have the opportunity to be granted a new life, but it is bittersweet for her, considering her eldest would never be able to see it. Nevertheless, she is keeping his memories alive in her heart by proudly residing in Istanbul, Turkey, and following her dreams as the CEO at Lavender Events Agency. She and her husband are currently also expecting another child, a boy.
Fuad Sayed Issa is a Motivational Speaker and Entrepreneur
Fuad still remembers that before he left his home in Turkey to travel for business mere days before the incident, his eldest son Qutaiba had asked him not to or if they could go together. He promised the 8-year-old that he would take him along on his travels once he grew up, unaware it would never happen. That’s because his wife Safa and two sons got caught up in the rubble, and it took him half a day to reach them all the way from Istanbul. The fact that there was another earthquake within five minutes of his arrival into the city also terrified him, but he soon, fortunately, learned that his wife and youngest had made it out okay.
However, because Qutaiba was still missing, he devoted all his energies to finding the 8-year-old, knowing he couldn’t face his wife until he had some concrete information to give her. But alas, he found his oldest son half buried in the rubble, shattering his heart into a million pieces. Yet, he couldn’t stop because he had others to look for, too, and he took to social media to find their youngest, which fortunately didn’t take long, thanks to a nurse. It was only then that Fuad went to see Safa, and they both knew grief was just starting to hit them in the worst of ways. In the end, they were reunited, but their family wasn’t the same.
Since then, Fuad has dedicated himself to his work, earned an MBA degree, and established a name for himself in the motivational speaking industry, too, in the hopes of sparking a change. From what we can tell, he currently splits his time between the UK and Istanbul, Turkey, all the while working as the Founder of Influencers for Humanity and Violet organization. Through them, he is doing everything in his power to keep the legacy of those lost alive while ensuring nothing like what happened happens again. He is also going to be a father again soon, so we can only imagine how excited, grateful, yet bittersweet he must be feeling at the moment.
