![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) ## Earthquakes in Türkiye # Views of Kahramanmaras from two different angles Published on 14.2.2023, 14:55 (CET) Although considerable damage has been reported in Kahramanmaras, a photomontage relayed online does not entirely represent the way in which the city ​​has changed following the earthquakes. Close to the epicenter of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria, the Turkish town of Kahramanmaras was devastated by the disaster. Many Images showing the damage are shared on social networks. Two photos views from the sky would illustrate in particular the situation before and after the earthquakes. On the second, we would see that hundreds of previously intact buildings would have collapsed. ## Assessment The damage observed in Kahramanmaras is certainly enormous, but the photomontage relayed on social networks does not exactly represent the situation before and after the disaster. The two photos actually show two places different from the city. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the first photo was taken before the earthquakes. ## Facts Located in the south of the country, the Turkish town of Kahramanmaras was harshly hit by the earthquakes of February 6, 2023, which have already caused more than 35,000 dead in Türkiye and Syria. Many images of devastation are circulating on social media ever since. The two photos in question, which can be found in particular on Facebook and on Twitter, Kahramanmaras clearly shows. The hill roads that overlook the city, visible at the top left in the first photo, correspond to those of satellite images from Google Maps. We also recognize the intersection of two roads, bottom right in the photo. The problem is that we do not find these elements in the second photo, the one supposed to show the city after the earthquakes. Here too, it is a aerial shot of Kahramanmaras: the snowy area of ​​one of the hills (middle top in the photo), as well as a green area at the center right, are present on Google Maps. The two photos were therefore immortalized in Kahramanmaras. But they don't do not show the same part of the city, since the roads and reliefs do not are not identical. Therefore, it cannot be a “before/after” ". Only one element is present in both images: a green space, which is located at the far right in the first photo, and at the far left in the second. This location suggests that both places are in the continuity of each other. On a city map, the first photo corresponds more or less to the orange part, while the second corresponds to the blue part. Aerial video The provenance of these photos was also examined by the organization. Turkish fact-check Teyit. By doing a reverse image search, we comes across a video of around thirty seconds filmed above Kahramanmaras from an aircraft. The version put forward by Teyit was published on Twitter on February 7, 2023, the day after the earthquakes earth. According to Teyit, the voice in the video describes that much of the city ​​has disappeared. The exact origin of the sequence is however not clearly established. The photos are not screenshots of this video, as the frame does not doesn't quite match. The color and location of the snow on the hills are, however, very similar, suggesting that the photos were taken around the same time as the video. In this video, shot after the earthquakes, we can see that many white buildings are still present (on the left, at the start of the video). To the To the right of these buildings, however, there are much fewer homes. This difference corresponds to what we observe in the two photos shared in line. A trace of these two photos before February 6 cannot be found. There is therefore no proof that the first photo was immortalized before the earthquakes. This in any case does not show the same part of the city as the second photo. (Situation as of 02/14/2023) ## Links Facebook post (archived version) Twitter post (archived version) Situation in Kahramanmaras (archived version) Deaths in Türkiye and Syria (archived version) Kahramanmaras on Google Maps here, here, here, here, here and here (versions archived here, here, here, here, here and here) Blue and orange zones on Google Maps Teyit fact-check (archived version) Video on Twitter (archived version, archived video) ### About dpa fact checks This fact check was written as part of the independent program of Facebook/Meta check. More information about this program can be found here. 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These photos show the Turkish town of Kahramanmaras before and after the earthquake