Turkey earthquake: Ottoman Kitchen owner lost contact with family

Niyazi Kaya, who owns Ottoman Kitchen on Southampton High Street, was getting ready for work when he first heard the news of an earthquake in his home country. 

Learning about the devastating impact of the quake, the 46-year-old immediately tried to contact his loved ones.

He said: "It's crazy. I just couldn't believe it.

"I have seen nothing like this before. I immediately called my dad." 

Thousands of homes have been destroyed (Image: Alamy/PA)

When he failed to get through, after endless calls and messages, Niyazi was ready to pack his bags and go in search of his parents.

However, eventually he managed to get hold of them.

"I asked my dad if I should come back, but he asked me not to because we don't know what might happen next," he said.

READ MORE: Southampton people send help as earthquake death toll rises

Monday's earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, claimed thousands of lives across Turkey and Syria. It's become the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.

Niyazi parents live in Gaziantep, one of the cities in Turkey where buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under heavy rubble. 

Seeing the internet flooded with pictures and videos of the devastation, Niyazi was almost moved to tears. 

He hasn't heard back from his uncle and his two cousins who live in Kahramanmaras. 

A woman holding a baby passes a destroyed building as young boy follows them in Iskenderun, Turkey (Image: AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

He added: "I haven't heard from them for three days. 

"I don't know if they are dead or alive.

"Every time, all the videos that I have seen on Facebook are of people stuck underground and crying for help. 

"It's so painful to watch." 

He is still waiting for his phone to ring, hopefully bringing him good news about his loved ones.

Niyazi came to the UK in 2019.

A collection point for essential items has been set up at the restaurant and a fundraiser with music, a raffle and auction will take place on February 22 to raise money for those affected.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article on the Daily Echo. Your support means we can bring you the latest breaking news, exclusive Saints features and coverage - and much more.

Digital subscribers get unrestricted access to all of our stories, our dedicated app including e-version of the newspaper, and an advertising-light website.

If you want all the latest articles delivered straight to your inbox you can join the thousands of subscribers who are signed up to our newsletters.

They include our popular daily morning news briefing, breaking news, crime and court, and Southampton FC bulletins - plus business, heritage and our what's on newsletters.