Mother's heart-breaking farewell for her little girl who was killed in ... trends now
A Syrian mother has been pictured tenderly kissing the hand of her dead daughter after she was crushed to death in the city of Reyhanli, southeastern Turkey.
It is one of the most heart-wrenching images borne of the disaster so far and encapsulates the devastation and sorrow experienced by tens of thousands of people whose loved ones were lost amid this week's brutal earthquakes.
The unnamed mother was seen looking on in despair as rescuers loaded her little girl's lifeless corpse into a body bag for transportation to Syria for burial via van.
She took one last grief-stricken look at her daughter before zipping the bag shut, and was later seen leaning against the side of the van, clutching at the door handle with an expression of desolation etched across her face.
The heart-breaking scene of anguish and torment comes just days after a Turkish father was pictured sitting solemnly beside a collapsed building, refusing to let go of the cold hand of his daughter who could not escape and died beneath the debris.
A mother from Syria kisses the hand of her dead daughter, who was one of tens of thousands killed in this week's earthquakes
The mother is pictured taking one last look at her daughter's face before zipping up her body bag
A mother mourns the loss of her daughter, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023
Though this week's quakes erupted in southwestern Turkey, the number of Syrians impacted by the fallout is immense.
The disaster flattened much of Syria's northwest, and the 10 provinces of Turkey affected by the tremors are home to the highest concentration of refugees in the world, most of them Syrians who fled across the border amid years of civil war.
Rescuers continued to pull yet more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings this morning, as international teams of aid workers and volunteers toil tirelessly to save as many people as possible in a feverish race against the clock.
The earthquake that razed thousands of buildings in Turkey and Syria has become one of the deadliest quakes worldwide in more than a decade, and the worst in Turkey since 1939.
Despite the harrowing scenes of death and destruction seen the world over, stunning stories of bravery and fortune continue to emerge.
Each passing hour seems to bring a fresh glimmer of hope as another child or family is rescued.
But now than 72 hours have passed since the quakes, and those still trapped under the rubble have little chance of survival.
Pictured: Father Mesut Hancer holds the hand of his daughter Irmakleyla, who was crushed to death when her home collapsed in Turkey. Monday's first massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck at 4:17 am (0117 GMT), while many were still asleep in their beds
An aerial view of collapsed buildings as search and rescue efforts continue after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit multiple provinces of Turkiye including Adiyaman, Turkiye on February 09, 2023
People stand over the bodies of earthquake victims outside a hospital in Antakya, southeastern Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023
Mourners bury family members who died in a devastating earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey at a
