German Traveler Walks From Vienna To Istanbul To Collect Money For Earthquake Victims In T�rkiye

ISTANBUL, Mar 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Mar, 2023 ) :Twin earthquakes in southern T�rkiye 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 T�rkiye 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."