Devastation is etched all over these photos in the aftermath of the massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February. The temblors have so far claimed more than 21,000 lives and injured more than 75,000.
Latest reports showed that over 12,000 buildings have collapsed leaving many trapped beneath the rubble.
The tragedy has affected 23 million people, including 1.4 million children according to the World Health Organization. It has brought untold damage to property and human emotions.
A man walks past collapsed buildings in Hatay on February 10, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southeast. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
People stand by a fire among the rubble of collapsed building in Hatay, on February 10, 2023, four days after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed over 11.200 people. – Searchers were still pulling survivors on February 8 from the rubble of the earthquake that killed over 11,200 people in Turkey and Syria, even as the window for rescues narrowed. For two days and nights since the 7.8 magnitude quake, thousands of searchers have worked in freezing temperatures to find those still alive under flattened buildings on either side of the border. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Handout picture released by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs showing quake rescue dog ” Balam” taking part in rescue efforts after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, in Adiyaman, Turkey, on February 9, 2023. – Time was running out for survivors buried in the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, as search efforts near the crucial 72-hour mark, a rescue response expert said Wednesday. (Photo by Mexican Ministry of foreign Affairs / Mexican Foreign Ministry / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTRY” – NO MARKETING – NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
A man reacts as the body of his baby pulled out from the rubble, is taken away by a Syrian White Helmet rescue worker, in the town of Harim in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on February 8, 2023, two days after a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. – The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 rose above 8,300, official data showed, with rescue workers on February 8 still searching for trapped survivors. (Photo by Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP)
Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake’s epicentre, the day after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s southeast, on February 7, 2023. – Rescuers in Turkey and Syria braved frigid weather, aftershocks and collapsing buildings, as they dug for survivors buried by an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people. Some of the heaviest devastation occurred near the quake’s epicentre between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, a city of two million where entire blocks now lie in ruins under gathering snow. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
A woman reacts as rescuers search for survivors through the rubble of collapsed buildings in Adana, on February 6, 2023 after a 7,8 magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. – The combined death toll has risen to over 1,900 for Turkey and Syria after the region’s strongest quake in nearly a century. Turkey’s emergency services said at least 1,121 people died in the earthquake, with another 783 confirmed fatalities in Syria. (Photo by Can EROK / AFP)
Emergency personnel conduct a rescue operation to save 16-year-old Melda from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, southern Turkey, on February 9, 2023, where she has been trapped since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. – The combined death toll has risen to over 1,900 for Turkey and Syria after the region’s strongest quake in nearly a century on February 6, 2023. Turkey’s emergency services said at least 1,121 people died in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, with another 783 confirmed fatalities in Syria, putting that toll at 1,904. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP)
Rescuers are rushing to save whatever they can, be it human lives or animals buried under tons of rubble as search continues for the fifth straight day Saturday.
Two Filipinos were reportedly among those killed in the magnitude 7.8 temblor in Southeastern Turkey.
An inter-agency Philippine contingent has been dispatched to help in the rescue and recovery efforts despite as snow storms and freezing temperatures.
In a massive race against time, nations around the world have sent response support to help survivors while donations are pouring in what could be the among the biggest earthquake tragedies of the decade in terms of lives lost.
