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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Deniz Barış Narlı in Adana and Sam Jones

‘My eyes were full of tears’: shooting the defining image of the Turkey earthquake

Irmak Turkey AFPGetty Images
Mesut Hançer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, Irmak
Mesut Hançer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, Irmak. Photograph: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images

Adem Altan can’t compare the picture he took on a cold morning this week with any of the tens of thousands he has shot in his 41 years as a photojournalist.

Shortly after driving from Ankara to the southern Turkish town of Kahramanmaraş on Tuesday, and picking his way through the aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, he came across a collapsed apartment complex.

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