More than 6000 are confirmed dead in Turkey and Syria after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday.
And the World Health Organisation is warning the death toll could rise to more than 20,000 people.
The earthquake is almost identical in strength and depth to the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016. So why was this one so much deadlier?
Toka Tū Ake EQC chief resilience and research officer Dr Jo Horrocks spoke to Guyon Espiner.
