German traveler walks from Vienna to Istanbul to collect money for earthquake victims in Türkiye

ISTANBUL

Twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye did not only affect Turkish people's lives and cause devastating effects on buildings but also foreigners living in the country were rocked by the disasters.

Franziska Niehus is among those foreigners who have been living in Istanbul for five years.

Born in Germany, Niehus is a big fan of Türkiye as she traveled over 81 provinces in her old yellow car, and became quite popular on Instagram.

She has over 500.000 followers on her Instagram account named "travelcomic," where she makes videos about the Turkish cities that she has visited.

After receiving news of devastating earthquakes that hit 11 cities, she felt that her heart "was heavy with pain."

She has been affected by some dramatic features from the quake zone, leading her to take immediate action to help the victims as the idea just popped into her head out of nowhere; Walking from Vienna, Austria, to Istanbul to raise donations on her way.

Niehus told Anadolu via Zoom about her activities to help victims while walking the outskirts of Vienna on the second day of her trip.

The 29-year-old traveler was in Kayseri for a ski trip when the earthquake occurred on Feb. 6.

"I woke up at 4:20 am in the morning because the building was shaking. It was the first time ever that I experienced such a strong earthquake in my life. So, I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I was running outside without shoes on," she said.

Following the earthquake, she immediately went to Elbistan of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the second earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude in the afternoon.

"We saw the devastating outcome of the earthquake, I realized that this is one of the biggest disasters that the modern time has probably seen and we should do something against it or for it."

"When I was in Elbistan, it was really cold. Everybody lost family or their house. But they still came up to me to offer tea because it was so cold. They might have lost everything, but they did not lose their hospitality and hope. This is why I care about this so much."

Goal to walk 2,400 kilometers across 8 countries

She will walk around 2,400 kilometers (1,490 miles) and will distribute the donations to a charitable project for the victims every 500 kilometers (310 miles).

Asked for the purpose of her trip, Niehus said that she wanted to raise awareness to collect donations for the earthquake victims.

"I was thinking by myself as to what I can personally do to help in this situation for Türkiye, which I called my home. I feel like there is something that I can do to help people. So, this is something that I can do, raise awareness with my social media platforms by raising donations for those people that need help most right now."

She already collected $3,000 on her second day of walking.

"I am overwhelmed by the support and donations that are already coming in before I even started this walk. Multiple charities will profit from this project."

On messages she received about her long trip, she stated that the reactions have been very positive.

"Of course, there are a lot of people who are also very worried about me because it's a really long way. And there are parts that are going to be extremely lonely and difficult. I am aware of this, but most of the messages were extremely sweet. People are excited about this. And I hope that with this project, I can also motivate other people to do something. Go outside and think about how I can personally help in this situation."

She plans to walk around 20 or 30 kilometers per day, which will take around five months to reach Istanbul, expecting to arrive in Istanbul in July or August, across eight countries, including Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.

She added that she already used to walk long distances with other outdoor activities such as hiking and camping in Türkiye.

"I climbed Agri Mountain a few months ago. So, I feel well-prepared. I'm trusting in myself. I'm very confident that I will reach Istanbul."

Hatay 'special' for her

Niehus has been affected by the pictures of the cities that were hit by the massive quakes, as Hatay has a special place in her heart.

"When I saw the images of the destroyed cities, I was devastated because I remembered all the memories that I made in those cities."

"I went to Hatay, which was one of my favorite cities in Türkiye. I also have friends there. Immediately, I contacted everybody and made sure that they were okay. But the city is not recognizable anymore. I am really devastated about this. I hope that together we can build this up again. I know it takes a very long time. But one day, it will be okay."

The death toll from the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye has risen to 45,089, the country's disaster management agency, AFAD, said early on Wednesday.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

More than 13 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes.