A Times of Malta photographer has captured southern Turkey’s “dust and rubble” landscape as homeless residents try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives more than a month after an earthquake devastated the country together with neighbouring Syria.
Matthew Mirabelli joined the SOS Malta team bringing support to the earthquake-hit area in the form of a tent city.
On February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the country as entire sections of southern Turkish cities crumbled.
Over 48,000 people have lost their lives due to the natural disaster, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Monday.
“You cannot fathom the devastation that there is… there is literally nothing left. The buildings didn't just crumble, it's piles of dust and rubble. There's no way anyone could have survived it,” Mirabelli said.
Photos: Matthew Mirabelli - scroll the slider for more images
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Joining a team in the Hatay province sent by Solidarity Overseas Service (SOS) Malta to help those affected, Mirabelli has captured the desolation that has been left behind over a month after the tragedy.
“People don’t want to go back into the buildings… they are too scared to go into their homes. They're petrified."
Matthew Mirabelli standing next to the tents being erected.Survivors of the region are scouring the area for what little they have left to salvage as cars lay smashed in the road under rubble.
Although several houses in the area are still standing, families choose to sleep in makeshift tents pitched in parks and along the roadside, too scared to sleep under the safety of their houses in case another quake strikes the country.
Yet, as terrified as they may be, families wander the streets as they attempt to retrieve small possessions or basic necessities from their damaged homes while authorities block off their access to dangerous areas.
“There’s loads of poverty… they struggle for food. They’ve lost everything.”
A mass grave outside of Antakya, Hatay Privince. Photo: Matthew MirabelliHeaded by David Grech, the SOS team is erecting 50 tents which will give families their own living space with basic amenities such as water, sanitation, bedding for both summer and winter, a wood stove and food items.
Within the tent city, power is being supplied by the local council while SOS Malta plans to use one of the tents as a school for children to continue their education, SOS Malta CEO Claudia Taylor-East said on Tuesday.
The NGO will also be hiring a local teacher for the makeshift school.
Funded by donations and supported by the Foreign Ministry and Malta’s Consul General in Istanbul, the effort costs over €50,000, Taylor-East said.
“This is our show of Solidarity and your show of generosity which has made this emergency mission possible. Thank you for your support,” SOS Malta wrote in a Facebook post.
“SOS Malta will continue to deliver humanitarian aid. The post-earthquake process requires a long-term effort.”
For more information on how to donate via bank deposit, text, cheque or money order, visit SOS Malta’s website.
Photo: Matthew Mirabelli