Cypriot town buries school team after earthquake

The last of 39 people killed in last week’s earthquake in Turkey were buried in the northern part of Cyprus on Sunday.

Mourners on Friday and Saturday attended the funerals of 39 people including 24 children, who were killed in last week's earthquake while on a school trip to Turkey for a volleyball tournament.

Pre-teen and early-teen students along with ten parents, four teachers, and a coach were killed when their hotel in Adiyaman collapsed.

One of the victims was 11-year-old Sahil, the daughter of the only teacher who managed with other three parents to get out alive.

“They pulled me out by the arms and got me free,” educator Esra Ozberkman said.

The grief-stricken mother who had spoken to British reporters in the aftermath said she was expecting to see everyone when she walked outside.

“But it was very bad, nothing was standing. We couldn’t find our children,” she said.

Ozberkman’s daughter had fallen into a basement area with others and her body was found six days later.

The team from Turkish Maarif College in Famagusta, in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway administration in the northern part of divided Cyprus, had travelled to the south-eastern city for a match.

In the south, after presidential runoff elections were held on Sunday in the Republic of Cyprus, President-elect Nikos Christodoulides sent a message to Turkish Cypriots, telling supporters “I share the pain of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.”