Kobani: families of those missing in avalanche denounce Turkish authorities’ position

How similar 2018 is to 2020, as the situation and scenario of yesterday are repeated. On January 19, 2018 a frozen Syrian family dies on the Syrian-Lebanese border and today another story whose victims are missing so far, and in both cases escaping from the scourge of war to fall victim to snow and on the mountainous roads.

11 February, 2020 10:16

Kobani - Samer Othman

Two snowfall collapsed in the state of "Wan" in northern Kurdistan, last week, killing several people and losing others, including people from Kobani canton.

Two men and a woman from the villages of the city of Kobani are among the missing, whose fate is still unknown, after contact was lost and no trace was found for them, while trying to reach Turkey illegally across the border.

The families of the missing people are appealing to the concerned authorities to help clarify the fate of the missing people, after the Turkish authorities refrained from granting them travel permits to go to Turkey and search for their relatives.

In an interview with "Hawar" news agency, Khalil Fathi Hamza, the elder brother of one of the missing, "Adaad Fathi Hamza", said that his brother was in Lebanon about 12 years ago and went to Turkey to meet his parents.

He added: "My brother went from Lebanon to Hawler and stayed there 15 days, and he intended to go to Turkey to see his parents, then he set out on his journey and they received no news at all from him.”

Khalil appealed to humanitarian organizations to intervene and help find the missing, as he said: "It is an inhumane act to ask for travel permission to search for your missing brother, so the state refuses to grant you this permission," referring to Turkey's refusal to grant them permission to travel to its territory to participate in the search for the missing.

For his part, Mustafa Abdel-Rahman, an uncle of Abdo Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, one of the missing, from the village of Khanik Afdo southeast of Kobani, said: "My nephew was heading to Europe with his wife, Andreen Ibish, from the village of Halang when his trace was lost."

He added: "Countries should accelerate the control of their borders and prevent these smugglers from trafficking in human beings by exploiting the conditions in the country."

Mustafa said that the missing were a group of 4 people and had been in contact with them for several days, then their contact was lost.

According to recent statistics related to the avalanches, 33 people have died, while there are a number of missing people, no information about their fate has been released so far.

J.O

ANHA