Photo from the Turkish earthquake area: He won't let go

Enlarge image

Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak - who was buried under rubble in the devastating earthquake and died

Photo:

ADEM ALTAN / AFP

The pictures and videos that have been coming from the earthquake areas in Turkey and Syria for days are hard to bear.

You can see death and destruction.

Rescue workers, some of whom just use their hands to search for survivors under the rubble - often in vain.

Apartment buildings collapsing like they were made of cardboard.

Now a picture from the Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş is making headlines around the world.

Mesut Hancer, wearing an orange jacket, is shown huddled in the rubble of a house.

His right hand is in his pocket.

He has stretched out his left arm and is holding one hand.

It is actually only one hand that is seen.

The person to whom it belongs is buried under the rubble: it is Hancer's daughter, Irmak.

She was 15 years old.

Photographer Adem Altan captured the scene for the AFP news agency.

Media from all over the world are reporting on the photo, from Turkey to Great Britain and the USA to Asia.

There is talk of a “tragic photo” (New York Post), the “photo that broke the heart of the world” (Daily Mail) or the “most heartbreaking photo of the earthquake in Turkey” (El Universe« ).

According to new official information, the death toll after the devastating earthquake has risen to 8,164.

More than 39,200 people were injured.

• In

  Turkey

  there are at least 5,894 dead and more than 34,810 injured, as Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced late Tuesday evening.

  In addition, at least 5,775 buildings collapsed as a result of the severe earthquake on Monday.

• According to the local Ministry of Health and the rescue organization White Helmets, 2,270 people died

  in

  Syria .

According to Oktay, the rescue activities in the earthquake areas are still in full swing.

"This work will continue until we reach the last citizen under the rubble."

According to the Vice President, around 16,150 rescue and search teams are deployed - they have been deployed to all affected provinces and districts.

A total of around 60,000 helpers are on site.

Oktay said that international and local teams would be brought to the provinces of Adiyaman, Hatay and Kahramanmaraş on Wednesday night, partly by air.

The weather conditions allowed such flights, which makes the work easier, says Oktay.

The state broadcaster TRT meanwhile regularly posts videos on social media that show successful rescues.

These include, for example, that of the four-year-old girl Beyza in the province of Kahramanmaraş, who was rescued from under the rubble after 42 hours and high-fived the hand of a rescue worker.

aar/dpa