Before and after satellite images show scale of earthquake destruction in Turkey

Thousands of people across swathes of Turkey and Syria were killed in Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake and the various aftershocks that followed. Tens of thousands more were left injured and without shelter in the freezing winter weather.

More than 8,000 people have so far been pulled from the debris in Turkey, but it’s thought thousands more are still missing.

Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies give an idea of the scale of the challenge for emergency crews over the coming days. They show in vivid detail the breadth of the destruction that has unfolded in towns, cities and villages across the region.

In the city of Nurdağı, close to the epicentre of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the roofs of many buildings have entirely fallen in. Other structures have crumbled all together.

Before and after aerial view of Nurdağı in Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies

The images show how white emergency tents and vehicles crowded some of Nurdağı’s busiest streets in the hours after the quake.

Before and after aerial view of Nurdağı in Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies

Turkey’s disaster management agency has said it has received reports of 11,342 collapsed buildings, of which 5,775 had been confirmed. In Nurdağı, a number of taller structures collapsed when the earthquake hit.

Before and after aerial view of Nurdağı in Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies

In some of Nurdağı’s busiest areas, the roads were gridlocked with emergency vehicles.

Before and after aerial view of Nurdağı in Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies

İslahiye lies just to the south of Nurdağı, also close to the quake’s epicentre. The below image shows that some roofs have slipped from buildings entirely.

Before and after aerial view of İslahiye in south-eastern Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies

In İslahiye, a large number of buildings have been destroyed entirely. Gas has been cut to much of the region in order to avoid explosions, so many are going without heat. Emergency workers are waiting for additional rescue crews to arrive and assist in the task of finding loved ones who remain buried in the rubble.

Before and after aerial view of İslahiye in south-eastern Turkey Images provided by Maxar Technologies