Two earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude that occurred on February 6, 2023 in the south and southeast of Turkey caused the death of a total of about 51 thousand people in 11 cities and injured more than 100 thousand people. According to official figures, more than 227 thousand buildings were either completely destroyed or severely damaged.
My photos are from the earthquake-affected city of Diyarbakir and from the rescue efforts on the first day of the earthquake. 20 Buildings collapsed completely in Diyarbakir, 411 people were killed and more than a thousand people were injured. Many people whose relatives remained under the rubble watched the rescue efforts with sadness and curiosity for days. When the rescue teams were insufficient because the earthquakes occurred in a very wide area, a large number of civilian residents joined the rescue efforts.
5,459 buildings were also heavily damaged only in Diyarbakir. Heavily damaged buildings are being demolished by the state. Hundreds of thousands of people whose homes were severely damaged lived in the open for days. They were then placed in tents and containers. But despite all the efforts, some of families who still cannot find tents and containers in all cities are living in difficult conditions.
Tens of thousands of tons of iron and concrete from the rubble of collapsed buildings are being transported to the assembly area. A sign with the name of the building is placed in front of the wreckage of each building.
Environmentalists want measures to be taken, saying that hundreds of thousands of tons of iron and concrete debris in 11 cities may cause environmental pollution.
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
During the earthquakes in Diyarbakir a 7-storey Hishami apartment building completely collapsed and became like this
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
Women are seen in front of the wreckage of the completely destroyed Hishami apartment building waiting for the rescue of relatives trapped under the rubble
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
More than 100 people were also killed under the rubble of the 8-storey Serin-2 Apartment Building in Diyarbakir where more than 100 people were killed
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
Cars were also left under the wreckage of the 7-storey Hishami apartment building which was completely destroyed in the earthquakes in Diyarbakir and security forces took precautions around the destroyed buildings
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
Those who are waiting in sorrow crying praying and waiting for the rescue of their relatives who are under the rubble of the completely destroyed Dundar apartment building in Diyarbakir are seen
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
When the number of rescue teams was insufficient during the earthquake a large number of people from the civilian population voluntarily participated in the rescue efforts
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
When the number of rescue teams was insufficient during the earthquake a large number of people from the civilian population voluntarily participated in the rescue efforts
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
She is one of the thousands of families who were forced to evacuate their homes because their houses were completely destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake in Diyarbakir Sad family members are seen next to the household items they took out on the street
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
A large number of families who became homeless during the earthquake in Diyarbakir had to live in primitive tents that they made themselves when they could not get from the tents distributed by the state
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
A special area was opened at the city cemetery for more than 400 people who died in the earthquake in Diyarbakir Most of the tombstones lined up next to each other attract the same surnames of people who died from the same family
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
12 Thousand tons of rubble were removed from the wreckage of the Galeria shopping center where 89 people died in Diyarbakir
The first days of two major earthquakes in Diyarbakir.
Tens of thousands of tons of rubble collected from the rubble of buildings destroyed in the earthquake in Diyarbakir were dumped in a designated area outside the city A sign with the name of that building was placed in front of the wreckage of each building
