A magnitude 7.8 earthquake rudely awakened inhabitants of Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023 when a minute of intense shaking caused more than 850,000 buildings to crumble. In Adiyaman province, four in 10 buildings collapsed. In Hatay province, the important port of Iskenderun suffered significant damage, pictured here.

Over the next few hours, two aftershocks severely impacted the rescue effort. Eight million people were directly impacted by the earthquake and 55,000 people lost their lives.

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