New York City family dies in Turkey earthquake

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A trip to Turkey ended with the death of a visiting New York City family when two earthquakes hit the area on Monday, destroying buildings there and Syria.

The only survivor in the family is an unnamed man, who tried to save his family by digging through the rubble himself, according to an interview Salma Salazar gave to CNN. The man was not identified during the broadcast.

The man lives in the town of Al-Bustan, in southern Turkey, and “was the only survivor” after his family lost their lives in a natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people.

Salazar told CNN the man had recently undergone open-heart surgery, and so her sister Kimberly, 32, Kimberly’s husband Burak Ferik, 35, and their two sons Hamza, 2, and Bilal, 1, went to visit the man.

All four family members, as well as Burak’s mother, who was not named, died on Monday.

Hasan Huseyin Kule/Anadolu Agency via Getty

“He saw his building collapse before his eyes, and he couldn’t do anything,” Salazar said of her sister’s father-in-law. “He spent more than 12 hours digging and finding people to help him dig because the machines couldn’t get in.”

Although she did not say how the family’s bodies were found, she added, “We are all very broken in my family. Our hearts are broken.”

Salazar said her sister was six years older than her.

“She was so graceful; she was so likable; she was so passionate about everything she did,” Salazar said. “She definitely put everyone’s needs above her own. My brother-in-law was very helpful in the community.

She said her nephews were young.

“There are no words I can describe how my family feels, how they were taken away so quickly,” she said.

According to a CNN report, the tragedy began after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey’s Gaziantep province at a depth of 11 miles — making it one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years. It was followed by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock and another magnitude 7.5 earthquake about 100 miles north of Gaziantep nine hours later.

After Kimberly and her family passed away on Monday, her father, Edwin Salazar, created a GoFundMe campaign.

Related video: The number of victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria reaches 20,000: ‘We can call it the catastrophe of the century’

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Describing the fundraiser, which raised nearly $20,500 of its $100,000 goal, he writes: “I am asking on behalf of my deceased daughter for any help to support her fellow gardeners. She was always a kind soul who put the needs of others above her own. And I know that is what she wants to do Her father-in-law, her husband, and their children have lost their entire homes and livelihoods.”

According to the description, “any money raised will go towards supporting the rebuilding of a home for them and supporting their basic living expenses and education.”

Meanwhile, Salma Salazar told CNN that she wants to spread awareness of what’s going on.

“I want people to know that this is a really big problem in Turkey and Syria, and even though I lost my family, currently there are still people there,” she said.

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