Satellite images reveal fault line through city near epicentre of Turkey’s deadly earthquake

Images capture extent of devastation and destruction left behind by deadly earthquake

New satellite images show a significant fault line stretching through a city near the epicentre of Turkey’s deadly earthquake.

A vast fault line rupture in Nurdagi is seen cutting across a motorway, farmland, and residential areas in photos shared today by Maxar Technologies.

Approximate fault line is seen annotated on satellite image of Nurdagi, Turkey (Maxar)

Images from before and after the two major earthquakes on Monday capture the extent of the devastation left behind in their wake.

The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, an area with a population of 13.5 million.

The site of the fault line before the quake, taken on 6 September 2019 (Maxar Technologies)

Visible damage to the runway at the Hatay Airport in Turkey’s Hatay province can also be seen, with construction equipment making repairs.

The site of the fault line after the quake, taken on 7 February 2023 (Maxar Technologies)

The earthquake also hollowed out grain silos in the towns of Kirikhan and Nurdagi, while a destroyed hospital is seen in Antakya.

Antakya, in particular, has been heavily affected by the recent tremor, with damage reported throughout the area. Images from the area show numerous high-rise tower blocks having collapsed.

Emergency crews made a series of dramatic rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people, some almost unscathed, from the rubble, four days after the catastrophic earthquake killed more than 21,000 people.

Collapsed and ruptured grain silos in Kirikhan (Maxar Technologies)

Earlier, a teenager was pulled largely unscathed from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in the Turkish city of Gaziantep - but the chances of finding many more survivors four days after a catastrophic earthquake killed tens of thousands are shrinking fast.

A destroyed hospital is seen in Antakya (Maxar Technologies)

The death toll in Turkey rose to 18,342 by Friday morning and the number of injured stood at 74,242, the disaster management authority AFAD said.

In Syria, more than 3,300 have been killed, though rescuers have said many more people remain under rubble.

Some 24.4 million people in Syria and Turkey have been affected, according to Turkish officials and the United Nations, in an area spanning roughly 450 km (280 miles) from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east. In Syria, people were killed as far south as Hama, 250 km from the epicentre.

Reconstruction work begins at Hatay Airport (Maxar Technologies)

Many people have set up shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or amid the ruins. Survivors are often desperate for food, water and heat, and working toilets are sparse in hard-hit areas.

Mr Erdogan has been visiting affected cities over the last two days.

Turkey‘s disaster-management agency said more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.

The foreign ministry said 95 countries have offered help..