TOPSHOT - Police officer Zekeriya Yildiz hugs his daughter after they saved her from the rubble in Hatay on February 6, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. - A major 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 3,000 people and flattening thousands of buildings as rescuers dug with bare hands for survivors. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP)
Disaster agencies say several thousand buildings flattened in cities across a vast border region.
Rescuers in Turkiye and Syria braved freezing darkness, aftershocks and collapsing buildings on Tuesday, as they dug for survivors buried by a string of earthquakes that killed at least 5,000 people.
Disaster agencies said several thousand buildings were flattened in cities across a vast border region — pouring misery on an area already plagued by war, insurgency, refugee crises and a recent cholera outbreak.
Through the night, survivors used their bare hands to pick over the twisted ruins of multi-storey apartment blocks — trying to save family, friends and anyone else sleeping inside when the first massive 7.8-magnitude quake struck early on Monday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that up to 23 million people could be affected while also promising long-term assistance.
Women react near rubble following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
A woman reacts while embracing another person, near rubble following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
A man looks at rescue personnel searching for victims and survivors through the rubble of buildings in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southeast on February 7. — AFP
A woman reacts while standing amid rubble, following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
Residents search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on February 6, 2022. — AFP
People look at rubble and damage following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
People gather around a fire following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 7. — Reuters
Residents and rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on February 6. — AFP
People gather on the rubble as the search for survivors continues, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria February 7. — Reuters
People sit amid rubble following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
A man reacts while standing amid rubble following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 7. — Reuters
People take rest next to bonfire in the rubble in Hatay, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southeast on February 6. — AFP
People gather on the rubble as the search for survivors continues, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria February 7. — Reuters
Rescue workers help a wounded person next to the rubble in Hatay on February 6, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. — AFP
People gather on the rubble as the search for survivors continues, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria February 7. — Reuters
Header image: Police officer Zekeriya Yildiz hugs his daughter after they saved her from the rubble in Hatay on February 6, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. — AFP
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.