There's much pain since the so quake...we cry but no one hears

MOURNERS carrying torches and flowers marched through Turkey's earthquake-hit cities in the early hours of yesterday - the first anniversary of the disaster that claimed more than 50,000 lives.

- Hanna Geissler

Thousands took to the streets before sunrise, pausing for a minute's silence at 4.17am - the exact time the first deadly 7.8 magnitude tremor struck.

On a foggy morning in Antakya, close to the Turkish-Syrian border, the Daily Express joined a stream of men, women, and children striding through the orange glow of streetlights.

Some held hands or shed tears, while others walked stony-faced as they reflected on the horror that unfolded 12 months ago and how dramatically their lives have changed since.

Nazan Korkmaz, 40, was among them.

She said: "This one year has been like a thousand years for us. When the earthquake happened we were alone but now we are lots of people."

Her breath misting the air, Asli Sahin, 35, added: "I cannot explain this pain at the moment. If I start to explain this pain, you will not have enough pages in your notebook to write it down." At 4.17am, the tragic parade paused on a bridge and silence descended, broken only by a cacophony of car horns blasting in the distance.

The mood was sombre with an undercurrent of anger.

Banners carried by the group's leaders said "No one heard our voice" and vowed "We have not forgotten, we will not let you forget, we will not forgive."

His voice booming from a stereo speaker, one man declared: "First we scream, then we cry, then we cry again.