Syrian earthquake victims being sent 'home' from Turkey for burial

 Syrian earthquake victims being sent 'home' from Turkey for burial

Aysha Moarri, 45, is sobbing while caressing a white, quilted body bag on the back of a lorry.

"How are you leaving me behind? You were the only reason that I stayed alive... How can I breathe now?"

Her daughter is inside. Next to her are the bodies of five other members of their family.

It's another cold bright afternoon at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between southern Turkey and opposition-held north-western Syria.

Syrian refugee families who have lost loved ones in the earthquake that struck southern Turkey last week are gathered there to help repatriate their bodies.

Around us the heavy smell of death hangs in the air.

Aysha, her husband Nouman, and their four-year-old granddaughter Elma, were the only survivors after the six-story block of flats they were living in collapsed.

Aysha and Nouman lost two daughters, one son, and two granddaughters, and were still searching for their son-in-law.

The family fled the civil war in Syria eight years ago, hoping for a fresh start, and took refuge in the southern Turkish city of Antakya. The city is now in ruins, with more than half of its buildings damaged.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64675066