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BBC Pidgin of Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Source: BBC

'I cari my pikin wit only pant run enta di snow wen di earthquake start'

Destruction caused by di earthquake Destruction caused by di earthquake

"Victor, me and my family homeless now as I dey tok you," na so Emmanuel Olaitan Johnson tell BBC Pidgin as authorities dey report say thousands don die for di earthquake for Turkey and Syria.

Johnson na Nigerian wey dey live for Gaziantep, one of di cities wey di earthquake affect for Turkey on Monday.

"Na around 4:17am for morning di whole mata start", e tok.

E say im bin just wake up for im house, wen im dey for di third floor of a four storey building wen di 7.8 magnitude earthquake wey don kill over 2,000 pipo for Turkey hit im house for di town of Gaziantep.

Di man recall say, "I bin tanda wen di building bin dey shake as na almost normal tin for my yard. But immediately I see crack for di wall, na im I grab my wife and pikin dem begin run comot di house".

E further explain say, "Before my house break I quick run back enta di house two more times to carry shoe for mysef, wife and pikin dem and also carry our documents comot from di house".

Oga Johnson get two pikin - 4 and 2 years old - tok say di four year old bin dey waka inside snow witout shoe, na why e gatz take risk enta back inside di house go carry im shoe.

"Na boxers and singlet we wia, wen we bin comot from house so I gatz run go back to pick up one or two for my family wey bin dey under heavy cold.

"Even as I dey waka for di staircase, di way di building bin dey shake I almost lose my footing for wia I bin dey climb as we live for di third floor of di building", na wetin e tok

Johnson reveal say di building wey crack due to di earthquake na wia e dey stay for di past ten years and now e dey homeless - "becos di entire building go collapse wit any little vibration. Evri body don vacate di building".

"As at now, we dey stay for one of my friend house wia dia house dey close to di building entrance for bottom floor.

"I no fit to live for my house again as e dey affected by di earthquake".

'I bin watch 9/11 hours before di earthquake'

E say di irony bin no dey lost on him say just di day before e dey watch documentary on di 9/11 tourism attack.

"I bin dey imagine how e go be for dem wey bin dey inside di buildings wen di attack bin happun, not knowing dat di next day sometin like dis go happun to me".

Johnson use dis experience say e no go like see war becos of wetin im eye see for dis incident.

According to am, oda pipo dey stay for sport centres and museums wey get stronger buildings even as dem hear say anoda greater magnitude earthquake, dey due to come.

For now, Johnson and im family neva hear from di Nigerian High commission as na dia safety be di koko.

"Na safety we dey find so cause even rigth now e still dey happun, you fit feel am at every one hour interval, yo go feel vibration".

Di second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude tremor hit Turkey and Syria around 1:30pm local time, wey officials say no be aftershock.

Turkey disaster agency say more dan 1,121 pipo don die for dia kontri alone afta di first earthquake and more dan 5,300 wunjure and Syria authorities dey report 783 dead and more dan 2,000 injure.

Schools for di 10 cities and provinces across Turkey wey di earthquake affect go dey closed for one week, di kontri vice president Fuat Oktay tok.

Di cities and provinces na Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis.

Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay, say dem don suspend flights wey wan enta or comot di airport for Hatay province, dem don also close di airports for Maraş and Antep to civilian flights.