Tulin Akkaya had just begun to collect his thoughts after being awakened by the biggest earthquake to hit Turkey in nearly a century when a second massive jolt sent him scrambling for safety on the street.
Buildings collapsed around the southeastern city of Diyarbakir – home to millions of people who have fled war and poverty in neighboring Syria.
A similar crescent of disaster struck major cities that run along the border of the two countries after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck before dawn.
Officials have put the combined death toll at more than 1,500.
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It was sure to grow and Akkaya tried to piece together the rest of her life when the second jolt shook her house and sent her rushing out of her apartment.
“I was very scared. I felt (the aftershock) very much because I live on the top floor,” said a housewife in her 30s.
“We ran outside in a panic. It was almost like an earthquake this morning. I can’t go back to my apartment now, I don’t know what happened next.
– Turkey’s ‘Apocalypse’ –
The aftershock was recorded at a magnitude of 7.5 – a magnitude that scientists say occurs only about 20 times worldwide a year.
The two earthquakes of terrible strength were remote areas and generally undeveloped in quick succession underlining the scale of the challenge facing rescuers and recovery workers in both Turkey and Syria.
Officials counted more than 50 aftershocks in the first 10 hours of the disaster. They are warned that more will be crowded for several days.
The relentless shacking sent broken buildings crumbling in both Diyarbakir and nearby cities such as Kahramanmaras.
The second big blow came when the survivors began to want to go back to the apartment to get the things that could help them survive the cold night.
Most areas have lost access to gas and electricity. The weather service is promising rain and hail in southeastern Turkey for the rest of the week.
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“Because I live in an earthquake zone, I’m used to shaking,” said Kahramanmaras journalist Melisa Salman.
“But this is the first time we’ve ever experienced something like this,” the 23-year-old told AFP. “We thought it was the end of the world.”
– Boy pulled out alive –
There are some glimmers of hope and rays of joy.
Turkish television and social media periodically flashed Monday with news that a child had been pulled alive from the massive concrete rubble.
NTV television showed a little girl named Zehra – looking a bit distraught and begging for her father – wrapped in a woolen blanket and placed in the back of a waiting sedan.
The medical car then sped through the snow-covered road as the crowd dispersed in search of survivors.
Halis Aktemur is also looking for someone to save in Diyarbakir.
The 35-year-old was one of the first to arrive at the site of the first major building collapse in the Kurdish-majority city.
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“We were able to save three people, but two died,” said Aktemur. “After the second earthquake, I can’t go anywhere. I think they will need my help again.