A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, causing hundreds of buildings to collapse across the region and triggering desperate searches for survivors in the rubble.
Thousands of buildings were toppled, hospitals and schools wrecked and tens of thousands of people were injured or left homeless in several Turkish and Syrian cities by the magnitude 7.8 quake.
A day after the quakes hit, rescuers working in harsh conditions were struggling to dig people out of the rubble of collapsed buildings in a "race against time".
Much of Iskenderun, a port city located in Turkey's southern Hatay province, lay in ruins after the magnitude 7.8 quake hit just after 4 a.m. on Monday.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that was downed by the United States over the weekend off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Conservation efforts established in 2009 transformed sea turtle poachers into allies, offering incentives and training to help save thousands of turtles and keep their eggs from ending up in markets and on plates.
Wailing children, flattened buildings and hospitals full of bodies - a devastating earthquake on Monday looked painfully familiar for Syrian families and rescuers worn down by nearly 12 years of bombardment and displacement.