Inconsolable in his grief, Melbourne man Muhammed Velipasaoglu recounted how he learned that several of his family members were killed in the disastrous earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria.
"I've lost at least five of my relatives. My brother-in-law and his wife have passed. My cousin and his wife also passed away," he told the ABC.
"My nephew and kids are badly injured, but the wife sadly died as well."
Mr Velipasaoglu said many of the his relatives were at Osmaniye, a city near epicentre.
"I spoke to my brother. He said everyone is grieving and in distress where they are," Mr Velipasaoglu said.
"He says it's beyond what anyone could imagine. From food to electricity, even the affluent are in a dire situation.
"I'm very, very upset. I don't know what to do. Insha'Allah I will go [to Türkiye]."
The magnitude 7.8 quake struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday, killing more than 7,700 and leaving thousands more injured and homeless.
From his home in Western Sydney, Memet Arslan told ABC News Breakfast that his wife Hulya had lost relatives in the disaster.
"She's lost her cousin and two siblings in the rubble, they're deceased," he said, as his wife wiped away tears.
"It's devastating."
He said people were out on the streets and exposed to the elements.
"It's cold, it's raining, it's snowing, and they've got nowhere to go, unfortunately."
He said his brother-in-law and his children spent the night in their car — "that's the only way they could stay warm".
Gathering blankets and tents
Amid feelings of despair and helplessness, the Turkish community in Australia is banding together to provide support to the earthquake victims — from mosques raising funds to restaurants donating a share of their profits to the cause.
Necmy Kul, a butcher based in Melbourne's northern suburbs, connected with survivors in several affected areas, and they told him what they needed most were blankets and tents.
"It's so cold, it's snowing there now," Mr Kul told the ABC.
"It's minus 10 degrees, people are freezing, they're outside, homeless.
"So if we can at least get blankets and tents and sleeping bags out to them, that's at least something to keep them warm."
Mr Kul, the owner of Sultan Halal Meats and Poultry in Campbellfield, posted on social media on Monday evening asking his community to help.
Since Tuesday morning, Mr Kul said his phone didn't stop ringing — he described the response as "overwhelming".
He said more than 100 families in Melbourne had donated goods so far.
On Tuesday afternoon, community members gathered at mosques to perform funeral prayers for those who died in the quake.
Selma Sezer-Demir, who runs the Turkic Cultural Heritage Foundation, is also raising funds for people on the ground, as well as collecting sleeping bags and tents for those who have been displaced.
"It's heartbreaking. There are little babies that have been found in the rubble," she said.
She said one of the foundation members had a cousin who was helped out of the debris of a collapsed building, and soon after the building next to them tumbled.
"She was lucky to be released — it was a matter of seconds. However, her aunties are still under that rubble," Ms Sezer-Demir said.
"When we ring relatives, we can hear the panic and the commotion in the background. It's very difficult.
"There are constant tremors, which not just scares people further, but also creates a very unsafe environment, both physically mentally and emotionally."
Aftershocks, which can last for days, are also a concern for Memet Arslan's family in Türkiye.
"There are buildings that are cracked and that haven't actually collapsed. As soon as an aftershock comes in where it's standing upright, it just crumbles," Mr Arslan said.
"You can't go back to your apartments or your houses because it's very unstable.
"The government itself in Türkiye is trying to assist where they can, but with the magnitude of the earthquake, it is impossible to get to everyone at once."
Speaking to the ABC's The World Today, Turkish Ambassador Ufuk Gezer said the area impacted is large, covering 10 provinces, where about 13.5 million people live.
"That is a gigantic task," he said, saying the government has asked the international community to donate medical equipment and rescue teams, and rescue dogs were searching for bodies under the rubble.
Australia has donated $10 million in assistance, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has offered his condolences to people in the region.
More than 38,500 people living in Australia were born in Türkiye, while almost 30,000 were born in Syria, according to the latest census.
Mr Gezer said the recovery would be long and arduous.
"It requires diligent work of picking up the rubble, lifting the hard concrete slabs, without harming the people who may be trapped underneath," he said.
"Going in quite fast, and with the necessary expertise, in a nutshell, is what we need at the moment."
Mr Kul, the butcher, initially planned to send a shipping container to the most affected areas in Türkiye, but now he's calling on the Australian government or airlines to support the community to transport the donations more quickly.
"That's the least that Australian government can do for us, while we provide the merchandise. We just needed to get air freight, because if we put on the shipment, it will take too long," he said.
The ABC has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Turkish Airlines, and Qantas asking about the possibility of helping the community to send donations.
"Due to the earthquake that affected many cities in our country, we continue to receive requests from aid organisations, search and rescue teams and aid materials to be transported from many countries," a spokesperson from Turkish Airlines said.
"Such transportations will be free of charge upon the confirmation and approval from the Embassies and Consulates of Türkiye locating at those destinations."
Mr Kul's daughter, Muhsine Eskici, said many Turkish community members were devastated to see the disaster unfold in their country of origin.
"Everyone's trying to comfort each other. People have family members over there," she said.
"It's quite difficult that we're watching everything on social media but then we're getting told that it's actually worse than what we saw."
For people in need of consular assistance, the Australian government advises calling 1300 555 135 within Australia, or +61 2 6261 3305 if they are overseas.
