Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek was taken to the hospital after an unfortunate electric shock at home. After the incident, Mayor Zeyrek’s heart stopped and he was miraculously brought back to life, but his condition remains critical. While the public continues to wait with anxiety and hope for the beloved mayor to regain his health, statements from authorities and political leaders reveal the seriousness of the situation and the epic dimension of the struggle for survival.
Moment of Incident and First Response: Help Arriving in Minutes
The incident occurred while President Zeyrek was responding to a malfunction in the pool motor at his own residence. According to information obtained, President Zeyrek was electrocuted when an electric current was released into the water as a result of a possible electrical leak. Upon hearing a noise at the time of the incident, his family immediately intervened, turned off the circuit breaker and quickly notified the 112 Emergency Command and Control Center.
Manisa Provincial Health Director Op.Dr. Mehmet Fatih Zeren, made a statement on the subject, “A call came to the 112 Emergency Command and Control Center nearby and a report came in that President Ferdi had been electrocuted. Our teams arrived within minutes. Intervention was made, it was observed that he was not conscious. He was brought to the hospital with heart massage.” The rapid arrival of the ambulance teams at the scene and the immediate start of heart massage on his stopped heart was a critical turning point in President Zeyrek’s life.
Hospital Process and Critical Situation: “We Lost Him, We Hope to Find Him Back”
Brought to the emergency room, President Zeyrek was taken to intensive care after initial intervention. Op. Dr. Zeren shared the information, “He was taken to intensive care after initial intervention. The necessary treatment is ongoing, but his condition is critical. His heart had stopped. He came back with CPR. He is currently being put to sleep.” This statement revealed how dire the situation was and that President Zeyrek was fighting for his life.
Chairman of the Republican People's Party Özgür Özel As soon as he received the news, he came to Manisa and received information about President Zeyrek’s condition in the hospital. Özel made an emotional statement in front of the cameras. “Friends, my valuable fellow citizens, let’s listen quietly. In the evening, while our Individual President was responding to a malfunction in the pool engine, which we think was most likely an electrical leak, he was electrocuted due to an electrical leak in the water. First, a sound was heard, then his family ran, turned off the switches and quickly called 112. From that moment on, the ambulance arrived within minutes and started CPR on his stopped heart. They performed CPR there for minutes. Then he came here,” he said, conveying the details of the incident.
Özel said, “From the moment the ambulance arrived, we hope that oxygen went to his brain because cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is a proper heart massage and artificial respiration, was performed, and that oxygen went to his brain except for the first minutes of the intervention. At the end of the intervention, his pulse came back a few times. His heart started beating. Right now, his heart is beating quite well. It works without any support.”
A Miraculous Comeback and Fears of Brain Damage
CHP leader Özgür Özel described the incident as a “miracle” in his statement. “We all hope for a miracle to happen. In fact, the miracle happened 70 minutes later with the heart working. But whether there was any damage to the brain functions of our Individual Chairman, our brother, our child, your brother, this will become clear after a while,” he said, emphasizing that the heart working again was a great success but the possible damage to brain functions continues to be a source of concern.
Özel called on his fellow citizens to remain calm, saying, “There is only one thing that falls on all of us. All the doctors, nurses, chief physicians, and everyone here are doing more than their best. There is nothing we can do here except pray silently. We all love our brother Ferdi, our child, our brother very much. We are all in great shock. We lost him. We hope to find him back. We are all going through very difficult times together.”, and reminded them that there were other patients in the hospital, emphasizing the importance of silence.
Morning Program Reminder and Prayer Call from Özgür Özel
Özgür Özel stated that they were with Ferdi Zeyrek on the morning of the incident and said, “We were at the Hatuniye Mosque with President Ferdi. We were at the cemetery, at the martyrs’ cemetery. Later, we were at the sacrificial animal slaughtering area. Later, we both took our sacrificial animals and went home. An unthinkable thing happened to Ferdi, but we know that the purest person in the world, the most beautiful person, a very faithful, pure family man, will hold on to life with your good will and your prayers.”
Özel made a single request to the crowd waiting in front of the hospital, saying, “I ask all of you to think about both the other patients in this hospital and President Ferdi. Your presence here is very valuable, but please be quiet. Especially, let’s not show such unnatural reactions and raise our voices. This will create excitement. It will disturb Ferdi and the other patients. My only request from you is to pray for our brother, our child, and be quiet. We will provide information from time to time as the situation changes.”
“A Great Miracle Happened”
Özgür Özel, emphasizing once again that Ferdi Zeyrek's heart started working after 70 minutes, said, "I believe that a great miracle has happened. A heart does not work after such a long time. This miracle has happened, it will happen even bigger. We will be reunited with our brother Ferdi, he will be reunited with Manisa, which he loves very much. He loves you all, you love him. My request from all of you is to wait calmly, without making things difficult, and to pray."
Özel also shared the latest information about President Zeyrek’s condition: “President Ferdi’s condition is getting better with each passing minute. But this does not mean that the danger is over. His condition is stable and getting better, but of course it is too early to say ‘the danger is over, President Ferdi will be in good health.’ We need to be patient for this.” These statements indicate that hopes are high but that caution is needed.
Who is Ferdi Zeyrek?
Born in Manisa in 1977, Ferdi Zeyrek graduated from Uludağ University, Faculty of Engineering/Architecture, Department of Architecture. After graduation, he established his own architecture company in Manisa and actively worked with architectural projects and interior design works. Playing an important role in the development and reconstruction of the city, Zeyrek was a manager on the platforms “Don’t Touch My Ulupark” and “Don’t Let Beyazfil Demolish”.
Having held various positions in civil society organizations and associations, Ferdi Zeyrek first served as a manager and then as the president of the Manisa Chamber of Architects for 7 years. He also contributed to professional and civil society activities by taking part in the Manisa Academic Chambers Union. He was also involved in the sports community by being elected to the Manisaspor Board of Directors between 2012-2014.
Continuing his political career actively, Ferdi Zeyrek became the Republican People's Party's Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate in the 2019 local elections. He held important positions such as Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Council Member, Şehzadeler Municipality Council Member and Zoning Commission Member. He served as the Zoning Commission Chairman in the Republican People's Party Yunusemre District Organization. Lastly, he served as the Republican People's Party Manisa Provincial Chairman.
Ferdi Zeyrek, who achieved a historic success in the Local Elections held on March 31, 2024 and was elected as the Mayor of Manisa Metropolitan Municipality, continued his rise in politics. Mayor Zeyrek, who married Nurcan Zeyrek in 2003, is the father of three daughters. The people of Manisa and his loved ones continue to pray for Ferdi Zeyrek's speedy recovery.
