Collapsed apartment buildings, rubble strewn across the streets, families sheltering in tents at a soccer stadium: Early images show widespread devastation in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras, a city of about 400,000 that was at the epicenter of a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday. It struck hours later.
A set of before and after images showing how a block in the downtown Kahramanmaras area was reduced to rubble by the earthquake.
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After
Google Maps user image from August 2022; Necati Savas/EPA-EFE, February 7, 2023 via Shutterstock
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 its high-rise buildings, was particularly hard hit, but residential areas outside the city center had less obvious destruction.
A satellite image of a portion of Kahramanmaras highlighting buildings showing clear signs of damage or destruction.
Buildings are visibly damaged or destroyed in satellite imagery
Initial imagery showed less obvious damage in areas with small, two- and three-story buildings.
A four-storey apartment block above a grocery store, saloon and ice cream shop
An eight-storey apartment building with shops on the ground level
A five-storey apartment block overlooking the market
A mosque and smaller residential buildings in the historic neighborhood were reduced to ruins.
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses on the ground level, have collapsed on this street.
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a meeting place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops selling the ice cream the city is famous for.
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses on the ground level and apartments or offices above.
A row of apartment buildings, each structure about eight stories tall, businesses collapsed into a popular residential stretch along the street.
Dozens of tents were erected in the stadium to provide aid to survivors.
Many high-rise apartment buildings around the stadium and the popular Piazza shopping center were razed.
A five-storey apartment building has been sold as a homestay
Initial imagery showed less obvious damage in areas filled with smaller, two- and three-story buildings.
Several high-rise buildings collapsed, some with shops at ground level.
A mosque and smaller residential buildings in the historic neighborhood were reduced to ruins.
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses on the ground level, have collapsed on this street.
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a meeting place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops selling the ice cream the city is famous for.
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses on the ground level and apartments or offices above.
A row of apartment buildings, each structure about eight stories tall, businesses collapsed into a popular residential stretch along the street.
Dozens of tents were erected in the stadium to provide aid to survivors.
Many high-rise apartment buildings around the stadium and the popular Piazza shopping center were razed.
A five-storey apartment building has been sold as a homestay
Several high-rise buildings collapsed, some with shops at ground level.
Initial imagery showed less obvious damage in areas filled with small, two- and three-story buildings.
Several eight-story apartment buildings, all with businesses on the ground level, have collapsed on this street.
Many buildings were destroyed in the modern downtown area, a meeting place filled with hotels, restaurants and historic shops selling the ice cream the city is famous for.
Most buildings in the dense downtown were about eight stories high, with businesses on the 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 from Microsoft; Christopher Gross
The damage in Marash is just a sliver of the wreckage seen across southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. The earthquake was the most powerful recorded in the region, similar to the 1939 earthquake in Turkey that killed more than 30,000 people.
Whole blocks in the center of the city are dilapidated. Cars line the streets as people whose homes have been destroyed or who feel it is unsafe to stay in damaged or vulnerable buildings sleep inside. The city’s soccer stadium has been turned into an aid distribution center where displaced families have taken shelter in tents. A nearby hospital, once surrounded by buildings, now stands alone.
A set of before and after pictures of the area around Kahramanmaras Stadium. The stadium is now filled with tents sheltering displaced families, and a nearby hospital stands amid the surrounding rubble.
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Stadium with
Tent shelters
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Google Maps user image from August 2022; Reuters as of February 7, 2023
Turkey’s president met with survivors at the stadium on Wednesday. He acknowledged that rescue efforts had been slowed by blocked roads and airport infrastructure problems, and said more help was on the way.
For days, rescue teams and family members have been working through the rubble of collapsed buildings across the city. Survivors are angry that heavy machinery has taken so long to arrive as they search for loved ones caught up in the destruction.
A set of before and after images showing building damage and rescue efforts around the Culture Park.
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Google Maps user image from August 2022; February 9, 2023 by Stoyan Nenov/Reuters
Many of the buildings that collapsed were eight- to 10-story apartment buildings, which are common in the city.
A set of before and after pictures showing a block of collapsed apartments near the stadium.
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Google Maps Street View from November 2022; By Adem Alton/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images February 7, 2023
In many blocks only a few buildings remain. Freezing temperatures have made rescue efforts more difficult and increased the urgency of finding those still missing.
A set of before and after images showing the destruction of another block of residential buildings, the Clarion Hotel Kahramanmaras standing alone.
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Google Maps Street View from November 2022; By Emin Ozmen for The New York Times from February 7, 2023
Central Marash, where most of the destruction occurred, was densely populated with apartment buildings, often with retail shops and restaurants on the ground level.
A set of before-and-after images showing a row of collapsed retail buildings and restaurants, where only a few store signs are recognizable.
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Google Maps alley view from July 2018; By Adem Alton/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images February 7, 2023
According to Turkish government reports, Kahramanmaras province, where the city of Marash is located, was one of the worst-hit areas. On Thursday, a three-month state of emergency came into effect in 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, including Kahramanmaras. The death toll is expected to rise in both Turkey and Syria as rescue teams continue their search.
