Ex-Turkey star Volkan Demirel breaks down in TEARS after 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits his homeland

‘Please, for the love of God, people are DYING here’: Former Turkey footballer Volkan Demirel breaks down in TEARS and begs for help on social media as 7.8-magnitude earthquake kills more than 1,300 in his homeland and Syria

  • The deadly earthquake flattened entire neighbourhoods in Turkey and Syria
  • Volkan Demirel begged for other countries to ‘send all the resources they have’
  • The earthquake’s tremors could be heard as far as Egypt, Lebanon and Cyprus

Former Turkey international and Hatayspor manager Volkan Demirel broke down in tears on social media as he implored the world to help his homeland after it and Syria was hit with a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Sunday night.

More than 1,300 people were killed, with thousands more injured, as the catastrophic earthquake swept through Turkey and Syria overnight, flattening entire neighbourhoods while many families were still asleep.

Sportsmail reported in the early hours of Sunday morning that the earthquake’s tremors were heard as far as Egypt, Lebanon and the island of Cyprus, while a tsunami warning was briefly issued by authorities in Italy.

Demirel, who made 63 senior caps for Turkey during his international career, took to Instagram in a live video on Monday morning to beg for support.

‘Help! I want you to send all the resources you have to the environmentalist. It is not just Hatay and Antakya,’ Demirel pleaded.

Pictured: The destroyed ruins of an elementary school is seen in Hatay, Turkey on Monday

Tremors from the deadly quake - which lasted about a minute - were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus, Egypt and Lebanon, and a tsunami warning was briefly issued by authorities in Italy along the country's coast

Tremors from the deadly quake were felt as far away Egypt, Lebanon and the island of Cyprus – and a tsunami warning was briefly issued by authorities in Italy along the country’s coastline

‘Please, I’m asking you. Please, please, for the love of God, people are dying here. For the love of God…’

Despite starting the video off in a relatively composed manner, Demirel soon broke down in tears as he begged for help, appropriately capturing the grief and anguish his nation is experiencing after the earthquake.

As buildings began to collapse, many residents fled from their homes to take shelter in cars as a wave of at least 40 aftershocks rocked the two countries.

The quake was centred north of Gaziantep, Turkey, which is about 60 miles from the Syrian border and has a population of bout two million. The region is home to large numbers of Syrian refugees. 

It struck at 04:17 am local time (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 11 miles, the US Geological Survey said. A strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later. Turkey’s own agency said 40 aftershocks were felt.

Demirel took over as manager of Hatayspor in September 2022, signing a one-season contract with the Turkish club.

Christian Atsu’s 97th minute winner earned Demirel’s side a late 1-0 victory over Kasimpasa on Sunday, hours before the earthquake ripped through Turkey.

Pictured: A 10-year-old girl is seen being rescued from a pile of rubble in Osmaniye, Turkey

Pictured: A 10-year-old girl is seen being rescued from a pile of rubble in Osmaniye, Turkey



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