Turkey earthquake: 'Relief and tears' as woman reunited with parents

Seyma Yapar said she "felt so relieved to see them in person... we hugged and cried"

A woman said she "cried for a long time" when she was reunited with her parents after their house collapsed in the earthquake that hit Turkey.

Seyma Yapar's parents managed to escape as the walls of their home fell in during the disaster on 6 February.

Ms Yapar, from Sale, Greater Manchester, managed to fly out and surprise them on Friday.

"I felt so relieved to see them in person... we hugged and cried together for a long time," she said.

Ms Yapar said her parents had made it safely to her brother's house in Mugla, a city in the west of the country.

More than 38,000 people have died since the earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, making it the deadliest in the country's history.

Firdevs and Yahya are afraid of going back to their hometown, their daughter says

Ms Yapar said her parents Firdevs and Yahya lived in their neighbour's car for a day before travelling to the closest city to find shelter and then going to her brother's house.

"I wanted to come and visit them for a few days and gave them a big surprise," she said.

"They didn't even know I was coming."

Ms Yapar, whose childhood friend, aged 34, died in the quake, said: "I felt so relieved to see them in person.

"They were crying when they saw me at the door. We hugged and cried together for a long time.

"It's really hard to find the exact words to describe how I feel. I was so relieved to see them, but I could see the sadness in their eyes."

The earthquake, which hit near the town of Gaziantep, was closely followed by numerous aftershocks including one quake that was almost as large as the first.

Ms Yapar said her parents would now try to find a permanent place to live.

They are "a bit afraid" of going back to their hometown of Belen in Hatay, because it is "almost wrecked" and "everyone is leaving," she said.

"Most of the hospitals are heavily damaged and some are totally destroyed. My parents are old and have some illness to be treated."

Ms Yapar said her parents "are not eager to leave their hometown behind" but she thinks they will have to.

"They've applied for some rental houses for now and I really need to support them both emotionally and financially."

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