Harrogate couple describe crawling over rubble and glass to escape devastating earthquakes in Turkey
More than 11,000 people have died after huge earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria on Monday
Last updated 10th Feb 2023
A couple from Harrogate have described their dramatic escape from an apartment block, as a devastating earthquake hit the Turkish town they were staying in.
Steve and Sharon Cain were staying in Iskenderun on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, where huge fires broke out following the disaster.
The couple and their dog Bracken were woken when the building they were in started shaking "uncontrollably".
Sharon said they grabbed what they could and left, making their way over rubble and broken glass in the middle of the night, to try to find their motorhome.
"20-past-four in the morning, the building shook uncontrollably. Poor dog, Bracken, absolutely terrified. And then the sound and the angst of the people outside panicking".
"The sheer abject sounds of grief and terror."
Steve said they managed to find the motorhome they had been travelling in, and drove away from where buildings were collapsing around them.
"My mind was on, 'don't hit the car in front' and 'which way are we going'," Steve said.
"We didn't know at that time the main epicentre was in the North."
"We just knew we had to get out. We saw three buildings collapse in the space of 10 minutes there."
Steve and Sharon are now safely in the West of Turkey, and are appealing for people back home to send what they can to help international aid groups.
"They need money," Steve said. "Don't get your clothes out of the attic, there are people in Turkey who have that."
"The aid agencies need money to get the right further equipment and medical supplies out.