American Tragedy In Turkey
Among the thousands of people killed in the earthquake in Turkey were five Americans, all members of a Georgia family.
The Kilic family was on vacation when the quake hit. Four children, ranging in age from 6 years old to just 9 months, died along with their grandfather when the building in which they were staying collapsed.
Their mother, Jan, and a sibling, 3-year-old Natalie, survived. Their father was in Georgia and planned to meet his family this weekend.
The Kilics, including Jan's in-laws, Nizam and Turkan Kilic, were in the resort community of Yalova, outside Istanbul, staying in a building similar to a condo. The quake demolished the entire building, killing more than 100 people. Jan Kilic was buried under the rubble for about 16 hours and is recovering from head, neck and back injuries. Little Natalie was trapped for about 28 hours and, except for a black eye, she walked away unscathed.
The Kilic children killed were Jeffrey Michael, 6; Jennifer Kayla, 5; David Tansan, 2; and Katherine "Katie" Michelle, 9 months.
"They left us here, but we know they're in a better place. They were wonderful children," Billy Kemp, Jan Kilic's brother, told CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Thalia Assuras.
Also killed was Nizam Kilic, the children's grandfather. Their grandmother, Turkan Kilic, is hospitalized in critical condition. The grandparents spent about five months out of the year in Turkey, where they had a second home. Jan Kilic was taking her five children on a five-week trip to expose them to their Turkish heritage and culture. They had been in Turkey about a week when the quake struck.
Dr. Babur Kilic had planned to join his wife, their five children and his parents this weekend. Instead, he left for Istanbul Wednesday to make funeral arrangements for four of his children and his father.
Dr. Kilic, an anesthesiologist who practices at Wellstar-Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., is "trying to be strong," said his sister-in-law, Cigdem Kilic. "He's very upset, but he's also thankful that his wife is alive and one of his children is alive," she said.
As for his injured wife, Mrs. Kilic is "a very spiritual, godly person, and she knows that her childrenÂ…immediately went to be with the Lord Jesus," said the family pastor, Sam Boyd of Mount Zion Baptist Church. "So she has that sense of hope."
Jan Kilic's brother is appealing for help in making arrangements for bringing the bodies of relatives back to the U.S.
"At this point," he said Friday morning, "we have not received any help from the State Department or the U.S. consulate in Turkey."