Before and after pictures reveal devastation of earthquakes in Turkey

HATAY, TURKIYE - FEBRUARY 06: An aerial view of debris of a collapsed building after 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Hatay, Turkiye on February 06, 2023. Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of Turkiye said the 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (0117GMT) and was centered in the Pazarcik district in Turkiye??s southern province of Kahramanmaras. Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis provinces are heavily affected by the quake. (Photo by Murat Sengul/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Earthquake Before after — The view over collapsed residential building in Hatay, Turkey, shows how significantly the cityscape has been affected by the earthquakes (Picture: Getty Images)

At least 2,500 people have died as a result of devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria today.

The impact of the disasters on the countries’ physical landscapes has been laid bare in a series of pictures.

Vital infrastructure, people’s homes and landmarks with huge cultural significance were all destroyed in a matter of minutes by the initial 7.8-magnitude quake.

Even further damage has been inflicted by a series of strong aftershocks, with officials saying the number of buildings levelled by the shaking is in the thousands.

A castle that has stood at the centre of Gaziantep, Turkey’s sixth-largest city, for around 18 centuries was largely turned into a ruin.

Meanwhile a mosque in Malatya, which has been rebuilt three times after being hit by three different earthquakes over 180 years, was again reduced to rubble.

While Turkey and Syria were worst-hit, the earthquakes could be felt as far south as Egypt.

Before and after pictures demonstrate the shocking extent of the loss across Turkey – and the work that lies ahead, in order to rebuild.