Moms ‘steal’ baby food, electronic shops looted
– His bloodied face is instantly visible as he runs down the alley of the old bazaar in the historic city of Antakya, pursued by a shopkeeper with an iron bar, accusing him of looting in the wake of Türkiye’s huge earthquake.
Last Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor hit Türkiye and Syria, killing more than 33 000 people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
Looters have exploited the tragedy in Türkiye, smashing windows with hammers, and taking whatever they can find, including expensive cellphones.
The situation is tense in Hatay, a southern Turkish province where police have arrested 42 people on suspicion of looting.
When police detained the suspects, they were carrying money, smartphones, computers, arms, jewellery and bank cards.
Shopkeepers, like the one in the bazaar, are on guard alongside security forces, ready to hunt down anyone giving rise to suspicion.
The ancient city is quiet and streets that were unaffected by the quake are deserted.
Exploiting this eerie silence are looters, going on a spree inside shops that have remained intact.
Some people, desperate for food and baby products, broke into supermarkets after aid did not arrive immediately, while looters rummaged through electronics and clothing stores.
Four ATMs were ripped open from the front and emptied.
At a smartphone store, only the signs of the big labels remain. Everything else has been taken, apart from a few bits and pieces of packaging.
Next door, the mannequins in the window have been stripped naked and knocked over while the racks and shelves have been emptied.
Videos have appeared on social media, purportedly showing looters beaten up. –