What the earthquake destroyed in the heart of a Turkish city

Collapsed buildings, rubble strewn in the streets, families sheltering in tents in a football stadium: the first images show widespread destruction in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, a city of around 400,000 people located between the epicenter of the earthquake magnitude 7.8 devastating Monday and the unusually strong aftershock that hit a few hours later.

A set of before and after images that show how a block in downtown Kahramanmaras was turned to rubble by the earthquake.

Kalaylioglu

Hotel

Tax Center

Front

Kalaylioglu

Hotel

Tax Center

After

Google Maps user image from August 2022; Necati Savas/EPA-EFE, via Shutterstock from February 7, 2023

Using satellite images, The Times identified nearly 200 buildings in central Kahramanmaras, also known as Marash, which showed clear signs of destruction. The downtown area...