Chilling aerial pics reveal apocalyptic scale of Turkey quake disaster as districts are flattened & more than 24k killed

By Aliki Kraterou

CHILLING aerial images reveal the devastating aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey as the casualties have now exceeded 24,000.

Haunting photos show countless collapsed buildings and rubble across the streets days after the killer quake hit Turkey and Syria.

Reuters

Haunting pictures show the scale of destruction after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras[/caption]

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An aerial image shows the city before the earthquake hit on Monday[/caption]

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Countless buildings have collapsed in the one of the worst hit cities in Turkey[/caption]

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That’s how the city looked before the deadly quake[/caption]

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The province of Kahramanmaras is one of the worst-hit areas in Turkey[/caption]

Heart-breaking images show the scale of destruction in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, a city at the epicenter of the massive 7.8 magnitude quake on Monday.

Entire blocks have been reduced to rubble as thousands have lost their homes in the deadliest earthquake in the region in over two decades.

The city’s football stadium has now turned into a makeshift morgue to accommodate and identify bodies.

To donate, visit redcross.org.uk/sunaid

A 70-year-old woman, Menekse Tabak, was miraculously rescued in Kahramanmaras, one of the worst-hit areas in Turkey after spending 122 hours in the rubble.

She was swaddled in a blanket while rescuers carried her to a waiting ambulance.

Another woman, Masallah Cicek, 55, was also pulled alive from the debris in Diyarbakir.

Meanwhile, rescue teams continue to look for survivors trapped in the rubble as some have miraculously made it out alive including newborn babies.

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Rescue teams continue to look for survivors as the death toll has reached 24,000[/caption]

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Many are thought to remain trapped under the rubble[/caption]

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Three-year-old Rami and his mum Aya were rescued in Hatay[/caption]

Rescuers pictured with 10-day-old baby Yagiz Ulas
Rescuers pictured with 10-day-old baby Yagiz Ulas
AFP

Rescuers work tirelessly to find survivors in the rubble[/caption]

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18-month-old Yusuf Huseyin and his 7-year-old elder brother were rescued after 105 hours[/caption]

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Over 3,000 have been recorded dead in Syria[/caption]

A total of sixty-seven people had been clawed from the rubble in the previous 24 hours, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said, in efforts that drew in 31,000 rescuers across the affected region.

It comes as….

About 80,000 people were being treated in hospital, while 1.05 million left homeless by the quakes huddled in temporary shelters, he added.

“Our main goal is to ensure that they return to a normal life by delivering permanent housing to them within one year and that they heal their pain as soon as possible,” Oktay said.

The UK has now pledged will send up to 100 more aid workers to Turkey to save lives after the devastating earthquake while generous Sun readers have now raised £850,000.

A British firefighter who was deployed to Turkey spoke of the heartbreaking scenes he encountered as he was pulling casualties out of the rubble.

Speaking to Mail Online dad-of-two Steve Davies, 51, said: “I’ve got two daughters and you can’t help putting yourself in the position the earthquake survivors are in, desperately hoping to find family. 

“It is heartbreaking. It has been tough.

“Everybody is saying how totally horrific this one is and how widespread the impact is.

“That’s the hardest part as a rescuer – having to walk past sites where people are begging you to try and go in and look for their family but we know our dogs have been over and there’s no chance of us saving a life.

“We’ve got to try and save as many people as we can because time is so precious.”

It comes as the tragic death toll exceeded 24,150 across southern Turkey and northwest Syria today.

Deaths in Turkey rose to 20,665 while in Syria, more than 3,500 have been killed.

Some 12,000 buildings in Turkey have either collapsed or sustained serious damage, according to Turkey’s minister of environment and urban planning, Murat Kurum.

Harrowing images revealed mourning families praying for their loved ones in mass graves in Turkey as morgues and cemeteries have been overwhelmed due to the high number of victims.

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The death toll has reached 24,000in Turkey and Syria[/caption]

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A stadium has turned into an internal displacement camp in Hatay,[/caption]

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People are still looking for their loved ones in Jindayris[/caption]

SUN READERS RAISE £850K

The Sun’s Earthquake appeal has now hit £850,000 after generous donations from readers and British businesses.

Steve Parkin, a former coal pit miner who set up a “man and van” business in the 1990s and grew to become £1 billion enterprise Clipper Logistics, donated £100,000 to the Sun’s Red Cross fund.

Mr Parkin told The Sun “I’ve seen the harrowing scenes and devastation caused by the earthquake on the Turkey and Syria border and wanted to help in whichever way was possible”.

EG Group, the petrol station empire owned by Zuber and Mohsin Issa, who also own Asda have also pledged £100,000 and a further £25,000 from employees.

Zuber Issa, co-chief executive, said: “EG Group is pleased to support the British Red Cross through The Sun’s Earthquake Appeal following the devastation caused by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

“EG’s Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility colleagues are also organising additional fundraising events and activities in the Blackburn head office and across our extensive UK site network to supplement the company donation.

“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and we hope they receive all the support they need from the international community in their time of need.”

Ocado Group, the grocery technology business, is also giving £25,000 to The Sun’s appeal.

Source: Chilling aerial pics reveal apocalyptic scale of Turkey quake disaster as districts are flattened & more than 24k killed

Category: News, World News, Earthquakes