Turkey Earthquake: Before and After Satellite Images Show Scale of Destruction

A strong earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday, devastating cities and killing and injuring thousands.

More than 16,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured as efforts continue for a fourth day in freezing conditions to save those still trapped under rubble.

The first 7.8 magnitude quake occurred at 04:17 am (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 18 kilometres (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is home to around two million people, the US Geological Survey said.

Satellite images of the southern cities of Antakya and Kahramanmaras, among the worst-affected regions, showed several high-rise buildings collapsed.

The quakes devastated entire sections of major cities in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria. The region also hosts millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts

Officials and medics said early Thursday that 12,873 people had died in Turkey and 3,162 in Syria, bringing the total to 16,035.

Survivors are still being pulled from collapsed buildings, though disaster experts warn that the chances of saving lives drop sharply after the initial 72 hours after the disaster are passed.

Turkey said almost 3,000 buildings had collapsed in seven different provinces, including public hospitals.

Due to the scale of the damage and the lack of help coming to certain areas, survivors said they felt alone in responding to the disaster.

The White Helmets, leading efforts to rescue people buried under rubble in rebel-held areas of Syria, have appealed for international help in their “race against time”.

The satellite images also revealed hundreds of emergency shelters set up in the open areas and stadiums to help relief operations.

They have been toiling since the quake to pull survivors out from under the debris of dozens of flattened buildings in northwestern areas of war-torn Syria that remain outside the government’s control.

Hundreds of thousands spent the night in dormitories, schools, mosques and other public buildings, while others sheltered in hotels that opened their doors for free.

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