What the Earthquake Destroyed in the Heart of One Turkish City
Shake intensity of first quake
Moderate
Severe
Turkey
Kahramanmaras
Epicenter of
first quake
Syria
Collapsed apartment buildings, rubble strewn across streets, families sheltered in tents in a soccer stadium: Initial imagery shows widespread destruction in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, a city of about 400,000 located between the epicenter of the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday and the unusually strong aftershock that struck hours later.
Kalaylioglu
Hotel
Tax office
Before
Kalaylioglu
Hotel
Tax office
After
Using satellite imagery, The Times identified nearly 200 buildings in central Kahramanmaras, also known as Marash, that showed clear signs of destruction. The downtown district with taller buildings was hit particularly hard, while residential areas outside the city’s center had less apparent destruction.
Buildings visibly damaged or destroyed in satellite imagery
500 ft.
Seven-story building
Initial imagery showed less apparent damage in areas that are filled with smaller, two- and three-story buildings.
Residential area
Four-story apartment block above a grocery store, salon and ice cream shop
Eight-story apartment building with shops at ground level
Five-story apartment block above a market
Kahramanmaras
Castle
Residential area
Kahramanmaras
Grand
mosque
A mosque and shorter residential buildings were reduced to rubble in a historic neighborhood.
Residential
area
Historic
market
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses at ground level, collapsed along this street.
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a gathering place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops that sell the ice cream the city is famous for.
Modern
downtown area
Culture
Park
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses at ground level and apartments or offices above.
A row of apartment buildings, each structure about eight stories tall, collapsed on a popular residential thoroughfare where businesses lined the road.
City
hall
Dozens of tents were erected in the stadium to provide aid to survivors.
Stadium
Many tall apartment buildings around the stadium and the popular Piazza shopping center were flattened.
Piazza
shopping center
School
Five-story apartment building marketed as a homestay
1000 ft.
Residential area
Initial imagery showed less apparent damage in areas that are filled with smaller, two- and three-story buildings.
Several multi-story buildings collapsed, some with shops at ground level.
Kahramanmaras
Castle
Kahramanmaras
A mosque and shorter residential buildings were reduced to rubble in a historic neighborhood.
Grand
mosque
Historic
market
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses at ground level, collapsed along this street.
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a gathering place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops that sell the ice cream the city is famous for.
Modern
downtown
area
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses at ground level and apartments or offices above.
Culture
Park
A row of apartment buildings, each structure about eight stories tall, collapsed on a popular residential thoroughfare where businesses lined the road.
City
hall
Stadium
Dozens of tents were erected in the stadium to provide aid to survivors.
Many tall apartment buildings around the stadium and the popular Piazza shopping center were flattened.
Piazza
shopping mall
Five-story apartment building marketed as a homestay
School
1000 ft.
Several multi-story buildings collapsed, some with shops at ground level.
Initial imagery showed less apparent damage in areas that are filled with smaller, two- and three-story buildings.
Kahramanmaras
Castle
Kahramanmaras
Grand
mosque
Residential
area
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses at ground level, collapsed along this street.
Historic
market
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a gathering place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops that sell the ice cream the city is famous for.
Modern
downtown
area
Culture
Park
City
hall
Stadium
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses at ground level and apartments or offices above.
Dozens of tents were erected in the stadium to provide aid to survivors.
Piazza
shopping mall
School
The damage in Marash is just a sliver of the wreckage seen across southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. The earthquake was one of the most powerful ever recorded in the region, about the same magnitude as a 1939 earthquake in Turkey that killed more than 30,000 people.
Whole blocks near the city’s center have been reduced to rubble. Cars line the roads, with people — whose homes were destroyed or who feel unsafe staying in damaged or vulnerable buildings — sleeping inside. The city’s soccer stadium has been turned into an aid distribution point, where displaced families shelter in tents. A nearby hospital once surrounded by buildings now stands alone.
Hospital
Stadium
Before
Hospital
Stadium with
tent shelters
After
The president of Turkey visited survivors at the stadium on Wednesday. He acknowledged that rescue efforts had been slowed by blocked roads and airport infrastructure issues and said more help was on the way.
For days, rescue teams and family members have been working through rubble of collapsed buildings throughout the city. Many survivors are angry that it has taken so long for heavy machinery to arrive as they search for loved ones trapped in the destruction.
Pink
apartment
building
Culture Park
Before
Pink
apartment
building
Culture Park
After
Many of the collapsed structures are eight- to 10-story apartment buildings that are common in the city.
Residential
buildings
Before
Residential
buildings
After
On many blocks, only a few buildings remain. Freezing temperatures have made rescue efforts more difficult and have increased the urgency to find those still missing.
Clarion Hotel
Before
Clarion Hotel
After
Central Marash, where much of the destruction happened, was densely populated with apartment buildings, often with retail stores and restaurants on the ground level.
Mobile service store
Restaurant
Before
Mobile service store
Restaurant
After
According to reports from the Turkish government, the Kahramanmaras province, where the city of Marash is located, was among the hardest-hit regions. This week, a three-month state of emergency went into effect for 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including Kahramanmaras. As of Thursday afternoon, the province has reported more than 4,800 people dead and nearly 10,000 others injured. Death counts in both Turkey and Syria are expected to rise as rescue teams continue their search.