Devastation in Turkey’s Hatay as rescue workers slowly arrive

The highway between the southern Turkish cities of Iskenderun and Antakya has been filled with an endless stream of vehicles rushing to reach the devastated areas, among the worst hit by the disastrous 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday.

Volunteers headed to the cities, bringing with them supplies and hoping to assist earthquake survivors and the families of victims.

In Iskenderun on the Mediterranean coast, expansive plumes of dark smoke emanated from a massive fire raging on the city’s port, which continued well into the night on Tuesday.

Many buildings in the city centre have been razed to the ground or otherwise rendered uninhabitable by the earthquakes.

Water had flooded into streets in the city centre while crews continued to shovel piles of debris from fallen apartments, a task that, despite the endurance and dedication of the rescue squads, seemed to continue at a snail’s pace given the scale of the damage.

Innumerable ambulances blazed by a long stretch of passenger vehicles, buses, and trucks hauling equipment. The din of sirens continued unabated for hours.

On the journey, a Turkish civil servant, his sister, and a dentist, who did not wish to be named, explained their reasons for travelling down. The sister was trying to help relatives of her neighbour, who had lost three young grandchildren in Antakya – the family was now stranded, unable to transport the bodies for their funeral due to a shortage of petrol in the area.