Final funerals held for Turkish Cypriots killed in Turkiye's earthquake

All the Turkish Cypriots who died in the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey on Monday, Feb. 6 have been returned to the island as the last of the funerals were held on Sunday.

13 more funerals were held in Famagusta on Sunday.

All the male and female volleyball players of the Famagusta Turkish Maarif College, who were in Adıyaman, Turkiye for a tournament, lost their lives under the rubble of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on the morning of Monday, February 6.

There were 25 athletes aged 12-14, 9 parents, 1 teacher, 2 assistant principals and 2 coaches in the group of 39 people who were lodged at the Isias Hotel since February 3. Only 4 parents and 1 deputy principal survived the earthquake.

Social media users in the TRNC filled their profile pictures with black or a cartoon by Alireza Pakdel, which pictures a boy and a girl playing volleyball with a moon and stars.

Turkish ‘ambassador’ to Lefkosa, Metin Feyzioglu announced that the ‘government’ had applied for a criminal investigation to be opened into the owners of the Isias Hotel, where the entire volleyball team was found dead.