In front of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, at the epicenter of the earthquake, Adem Altan immortalized a scene of rare pain on Tuesday February 7.
In the aftermath of the disaster, no rescue team had yet arrived on site, so residents were trying to clear the debris themselves to save their loved ones.
The photographer was inspecting the rubble when he saw a man sitting, dressed in an orange jacket, curiously motionless in the midst of the inhabitants who roamed the ruins, as if unaffected by the rain and the cold.
"Take pictures of my child"
Approaching, the AFP photographer realized that the man, just 60 meters from him, was holding a small hand in his.
He began to “
shoot
” the scene: waiting for help, this father stood leaning against the rubble under which his daughter was lying, continuing to hold his hand, determined not to leave her.
His name is Mesut Hancer, and his daughter, buried next to him,
“Irmak”
, he slipped to the photographer.
Read alsoTurkey: the earthquake reveals the authorities' lack of anticipation
As he took pictures of Mesut Hancer and Irmak's hand, Mesut Hancer watched him.
To AFP, Adem Altan said that the latter, upset, whispered to him, his voice broken: "
Take pictures of my child
".
To show the photographer where his daughter was lying, he let go of her hand for a moment, then hastened to take it again.
Mesut Hancer stands next to his daughter Irmak, buried under the rubble, in Kahramanmara, February 7, 2023. ADEM ALTAN / AFP
“
I was so touched at that time.
I was crying.
I kept saying to myself 'My God, it's an unbearable pain'
”, says Adem Altan,
“he spoke with difficulty, in a very low voice.
It was hard to ask him any more questions as the locals around them asked people to be quiet so they could hear the voices of any survivors trapped under the rubble
.”
For AFP photographer Adem Altan, these images perfectly sum up the pain of the victims.
ADEM ALTAN / AFP
On the photographer's Instagram account, the photo posted yesterday is accompanied by this comment: "
INCREDIBLE PAIN...He never left the hand of his daughter, Irmak, who died in the earthquake.
After the photos were released, Adem Altan received thousands of messages from Internet users expressing solidarity and emotion in the face of this father's grief.
“Engraved in the memories”
“
I think it's a photo that will be etched in our memories.
Many have told me that they will never forget this image
,” says the photographer.
Mesut Hancer followed Adem Altan while he captured the images of him and his daughter, in Kahramanmara, on February 7, 2023. ADEM ALTAN / AFP
From this photo emerge not only the immense pain of this bereaved father but also the amazement which seems to strike him with immobility.
For the media around the world, Mesut Hancer, resilient and silent after the tragedy, also symbolized, in the days following the powerful earthquake, dignity in the test.
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