Earthquake In Turkey Hits Close To Home For Turkish Student

As a student about to sit her GCE exams in a week's time, I still remember vividly what happened on that fateful day six years ago. October 8 2005 remains entrenched in my mind and the minds of thousands of other students belonging to Pakistan. No one can relate to you better and at this time of distress we, the students of Pakistan, stand by you!

Despite the rescues, the death toll from the Sunday's earthquake in Turkey continues to climb.

Nearly 400 bodies have been pulled from the rubble, with hundreds more missing. The quake hit close to home for one student here in mid-Michigan who survived another earthquake in 1999.

When Baburhan Uzum was a senior in high school he woke up one night to a scary scene.

"Like a cradle, the whole room was shaking. And all my books are falling down," said Uzum.

While he and his family were ok, several of his friends' parents were killed.

When he woke up this past Sunday morning to news about the earthquake, he immediately set into a moment of panic, thinking of the losses he experienced after the 1999 earthquake.

"All those flashbacks, I was thinking about all those days again. How many people? What is the magnitude? How big is this thing? ... and immediately I tried to call my family because I didn't have the facts yet. Where did it happen, and one thing that breaks down immediately is the phone lines and I couldn't get ahold of them," said Uzum.

Fortunately this time around all his friends are family are safe after happening to be in the right place at the right time.

"People are only expecting to hear bad news, but there are miracles happening," said Uzum, "Today I read the news of a 14-day old baby recovered with his mom. So we're just praying for those now to happen."

While he's thousands of miles away from the destruction, Baburhan's keeping a close watch on the part of the world where his heart belongs.

About 1,300 people were injured in the quake. At least nine people were rescued Tuesday. Strong aftershocks continue to rattle the area. -6 News