A barber who is flying to Turkey to assist his family fears that the devastating earthquake may have taken the lives of up to 50 of his family members and friends.
Ismail Yildiz is from Adiyaman, a city that was completely destroyed in southern Turkey.
The 37-year-old, who resides in Worcester, claimed that getting in touch with any member of his family took days, and he is finding it difficult to keep track of his losses.
In an effort to aid in the rescue efforts, he is bringing food and supplies.
In Chapel Walk, the father of five operates a barbershop. He has lived in Worcester since 2018.
"I couldn't get in touch with any of them for the first two days," he said. If they were still alive or not, what had happened worried me. ".
More than 8,000 deaths in Turkey and Syria have now been officially confirmed.
More than 800,000 people aren't getting enough to eat, and the UN's local aid organization has warned that the final death toll from the earthquake will probably double.
With temperatures falling below freezing at night, millions of people are homeless across southern Turkey and northern Syria.
He claimed that his family's home still lacked electricity and that it had been challenging to locate food and water.
When he wasn't at work, he made hundreds of phone calls, saying, "Everyone is scared; they just need someone to help them. ".
Since he has a large extended family in Turkey, Mr. Yildiz stated that he would like to "just do something for them.".
"It will be amazing for me if I can move one stone, bring one person back to life," he said.
