Entire city blocks were turned into ruins and major towns into rubbles, showed satellite images after a powerful earthquake that killed over 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria this week. The southern city of Antakya and Kahramanmaras were among the worst-affected regions in Turkey where several high-rise buildings collapsed.
The satellite images also revealed hundreds of emergency shelters set up in the open areas and stadiums to help relief operations.
The first earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit on Monday near Gaziantep, a Turkish city of about two million people, followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor and several aftershocks. The tremors were felt as far away as Greenland, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland said.
The stretches between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep witnessed the heaviest destruction with entire city blocks lying in rubbles. Turkey pegged its building collapses at nearly 3,000 in seven provinces, which includes public hospitals. A historic mosque dating back to the 13th century also partially collapsed.
The death count has reached 15,383, including 12,391 in Turkey and 2,992 in war-ravaged Syria, and is expected to rise as rescue operations are still on.
Up to 23 million people could be affected due to quake, said the World Health Organization (WHO), adding that 77 national and 13 international emergency medical teams were being deployed in the affected areas.
India too has sent tonnes of relief materials to Turkey and Syria.