Fault Line : Surviving 7.7 and 7.6 Earthquakes

February 20, 2023. Yunus Burtackiray, who lives in Kahramanmaras, escaped without injury after being trapped for a while in the textile factory where he worked during the earthquake. Having fled from their heavily damaged house, he, along with his mother and two sisters, came to the village of Kuyumcular, 20 km away, where his grandmother and grandfather lived. Yunus poses under the electric pole bent due to the earthquake on the village road where the fault line passes.

February 18, 2023. A grieving family is being consoled by relatives as they bury their loved ones who lost their lives in the earthquake at the Yeni Municipality Cemetery in Adıyaman center. Adıyaman, a city where approximately 5 thousand people lost their lives and 17 thousand were injured, was one of the cities most heavily damaged by the earthquake.

The hill on Habib Neccar Mountain, where Hatay Castle, its history dating back to 300 BC, once provided the city's most poetic view. Nine months after the earthquake, the sight of Antakya, the heart of Hatay, filled with vacant lots and a substantial amount of removed building debris, is quite poignant for the viewer.

February 20, 2023. Yunus Burtackiray, who lives in Kahramanmaras, escaped without injury after being trapped for a while in the textile factory where he worked during the earthquake. Having fled from their heavily damaged house, he, along with his mother and two sisters, came to the village of Kuyumcular, 20 km away, where his grandmother and grandfather lived. Yunus poses under the electric pole bent due to the earthquake on the village road where the fault line passes.
2023 - 2024
On February 6, 2023, Turkey experienced a devastating natural catastrophe with a 7.7 magnitude earthquake originating from the Pazarcik district in Kahramanmaras. The seismic shockwaves spread fear and destruction across 11 provinces, extending tragedy into Syria. Just 9 hours later, a second earthquake of 7.6 magnitude, centered in Elbistan district, Kahramanmaras, compounded the initial disaster's impact. According to the Mercalli scale, the intensity reached "XII," indicating a catastrophic event, a true nightmare for witnesses.The earthquakes claimed the lives of at least 50 thousand people, with over 100 thousand others sustaining injuries in Turkey, according to official figures. This event, documented as the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Republic of Turkey, etched itself into memories as the disaster of the century.
More than 35 thousand buildings were destroyed and approximately 300 thousand buildings were seriously damaged. Historical landmarks, unable to withstand the earthquakes' force, turned to dust. Post-catastrophe, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) experts reported 1.5 million people rendered homeless in Turkey. 5 million individuals were forced to migrate, reshaping millions of lives across the country.
Earthquakes in Turkey, compounded by economic struggles, triggered mass migration, leading to a $148.8 billion economic toll, surpassing the 1999 Marmara Earthquake losses by over sixfold. This financial burden, equivalent to 9% of Turkey's 2023 GDP, disproportionately affected those unable to migrate due to economic constraints.
The indelible marks of the earthquake are evident not only on the landscape but also on the people, spanning approximately 550 kilometers along the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line, which bore the brunt of the disaster in Hatay, Nurdagi, Kahramanmaras, Goksun, Elbistan, Malatya, and Adiyaman.
For those who lived through this tragedy, the aftermath brings challenges in accessing housing, employment, education, and health services even months later. Simultaneously, they grapple with the enduring trauma, profound sorrow, uncertainty, and anxiety about the future as they navigate their daily lives.