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.
A set of before and after images that show how a block in the downtown Kahramanmaras area was turned to rubble by the earthquake.
Before
After
Google Maps user image from August 2022; Necati Savas/EPA-EFE, via Shutterstock from Feb. 7, 2023
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.
A satellite image of a portion of Kahramanmaras that highlights buildings that showed clear signs of damage or destruction.
Buildings visibly damaged or destroyed in satellite imagery
Initial imagery showed less apparent damage in areas that are filled with smaller, two- andthree-story buildings.
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
A mosque and shorter residential buildings were reduced to rubble in a historic neighborhood.
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.
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.
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.
Five-story apartment building marketed as a homestay
Initial imagery showed less apparent damage in areas that are filled with smaller, two- andthree-story buildings.
Several multi-story buildings collapsed, some with shops at ground level.
A mosque and shorter residential buildings were reduced to rubble in a historic neighborhood.
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.
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.
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.
Five-story apartment building marketed as a homestay
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.
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.
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.
Source: Times analysis of satellite image by Planet Labs; building footprints by Microsoft; Christopher Gras
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.
A set of before and after images of the area around Kahramanmaras Stadium. The stadium is now filled with tents that shelter displaced families, and a nearby hospital stands amid surrounding rubble.
Before
Stadium with
tent shelters
After
Google Maps user image from August 2022; Reuters from Feb. 7, 2023
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.
A set of before and after images showing building damage and rescue efforts around Culture Park.
Before
After
Google Maps user image from August 2022; Stoyan Nenov/Reuters from Feb. 9, 2023
Many of the collapsed structures are eight- to 10-story apartment buildings that are common in the city.
A set of before and after images that show a block of collapsed apartments near the stadium.
Before
After
Google Maps Street View from November 2022; Adem Altan/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images from Feb. 7, 2023
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.
A set of before and after images that show another block of residential buildings destroyed, leaving the Clarion Hotel Kahramanmaras standing alone.
Before
After
Google Maps Street View from November 2022; Emin Ozmen for The New York Times from Feb. 7, 2023
Central Marash, where much of the destruction happened, was densely populated with apartment buildings, often with retail stores and restaurants on the ground level.
A set of before and after images showing a row of collapsed retail buildings and restaurants, with only a few store signs still recognizable.
Before
After
Google Maps Street View from July 2018; Adem Altan/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images from Feb. 7, 2023
According to reports from the Turkish government, the Kahramanmaras province, where the city of Marash is located, was among the hardest-hit regions. On Thursday, a three-month state of emergency went into effect for 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including Kahramanmaras. Death counts in both Turkey and Syria are expected to rise as rescue teams continue their search.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
