Balloons Placed on Rubble in Hatay to Honor Child Victims of Earthquakes

Volunteers attached balloons to the rubble of destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey, to remember child victims of the deadly earthquakes that struck the region, video posted on February 20 showed.

Ogun Sever Okur (@ogunseverokur), founder of the Ogun Abi Children’s Association, posted video showing himself attaching the red balloons to metal wiring sticking out of piles of debris.

“I lost a lot of angels here. We hang balloons in the name of the children who lost their lives here. Each balloon here represents a child,” he told Hurriyet.

He said the aim of the project was “to keep the memory of the children who lost their lives alive.”

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks rocked the region again on Monday, February 20, two weeks after devastating earthquakes led to the deaths of tens of thousands in southern Turkey and norther Syria.

At least six people were killed in the latest quakes, according to local reports citing Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. Credit: @ogunseverokur via Storyful

Video transcript

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