Despite being thousands of kilometres away, the effects of the horrific earthquake - and second tremor - that
Ipek Coskun is a Melbourne-based international student from Hatay, a city close to the epicentre of the earthquake which rocked Turkey on February 7.
As rescue workers responded in the affected city, Ms Coskun said she was devastated to learn that her mother was among the thousands trapped under rubble following the 7.8 magnitude quake.
The first thing she did was book a flight home.
Luckily, just moments before she boarded the flight she learned that her mother had been pulled from the rubble alive.
As the Turkish diaspora communities around the world are eagerly tracking the developments.
Esra Simsek, originally from İskenderun in the devastated region, works as a community health centre coordinator in Melbourne’s south.
Most of her family still live in Iskenderun and in neighbouring Antakya.
Devastatingly, she has confirmed that her cousin and other family members had lost their lives in the tragedy.
"That family of five is no longer with us today," she said, while eagerly awaiting contact from her cousin Dr Sabahattin Aslan, who lives in Antakya.
Dr Aslan worked from morning till noon and when the second major tremor hit nine hours later, the hospital in which he was working collapsed, Ms Simsek said.
It's understood that Dr Aslan remains under the rubble.
“My cousin Dr Sabahattin Aslan was at home with his family when the first 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit before dawn. Their home was not damaged," she said.
"He rushed to the hospital to help survivors in the ER. And he was there when the second huge tremor hit."
A child is pulled to safety from the rubble of a collapsed building, some 52 hours after a major earthquake, in Hatay, Turkey, February 8. Source: EPA / ERDEM SAHIN/EPA
While Ms Simsek awaits news of her relatives, she is "extremely distressed" to see the city where she spent her childhood mostly destroyed.
The earthquake affected a wide region of Turkey, and a number of community members who migrated from the southwest region to Australia still hold personal links to the region.
Özden Velipaşaoğlu, who has lived in Melbourne's northern suburb of Meadow Heights for 30 years, said five of his relatives remain missing.
His family is from Osmaniye, near Adana, one of Turkey's major industrial and agricultural centres.
He continues to hold hope that his relatives are alive.
Donation drive
Since news of the initial quake broke, the backyard of a meat processing plant in Campbellfield, in Melbourne's north, has been transformed into a makeshift donation collection centre.
The efforts are the work of Necmi Kul, the owner of Sultan Burcher, who is working with the Turkish NGO IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation.
In line with the foundation's requests, Mr Kul and his associates immediately began an emergency relief campaign amongst the Turkish community in Victoria.
Members of Melbourne's Turkish community with a container full of donated relief supplies for Turkey's quake victims.
She personally experienced the earthquake that caused significant destruction on August 17, 1999, which claimed more than 18,000 lives.
I had experienced how terrible that earthquake was. Therefore, I know very well how much support is needed.Bea Tercan, relief campaign organiser
Ms Tercan said they are only accepting the donation of unused goods, including blankets, sleeping bags and pillows.
By the end of the first day of the donation drive, the group had filled a shipping container and truck with goods.
She said the group hopes to receive assistance from the Australian government to deliver goods to the affected regions.
“We have contacted the government's emergency relief desk.
"We want to deliver these donations to Turkey by air, with the support of the Australian government."
Birgül Bea Tercan with items donated by members of Victoria's Turkish community. Credit: Birgül Bea Tercan
The Australian Turkish Islamic community plans to gather for Friday prayers for those who have lost their lives as a result of the tragedy.
The leader of the Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG) Ramazan Öğüt, announced that prayers will be held in 10 mosques in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne.
“This Friday, a funeral prayer in-absentia will be performed in 10 mosques for those who lost their lives in the earthquake," he said.
"The same evening, a Turkiye Earthquake Community Prayer Night will be held in front of the Hume Global Learning Centre (in Melbourne).
"The ICMG invites all members of the Turkish community living in Australia to this commemoration."
