The miraculous rescues, tales of survival and drone videos of entire cities flattened that have captured the headlines, but it is the little moments in between that will stay with me.
In Iskenderun, one of the worst-hit areas, families continue to huddle around small fires, choosing to sleep where their loved ones are still buried.
At one site, an elderly woman has dragged an armchair out from the rubble and has sat waiting for news of her husband for almost five days.
Nearby, cars are lined up with boots open and towels laid out, waiting for the next body to be discovered. There are no more ambulances left or room for the dead.
The death toll from the quakes in Turkey and Syria is approaching 24,000. (Source: 1News)
At some sites, body bags just sit on the side of the road.
But it's not just Iskenderun. Dozens of cities and towns are in similar, and sometimes worse, conditions.
We come across families who have travelled for days across battered roads to escape. Some are in cars that barely look drivable, partially crushed by the quake.
On our journey out of the city, we see men lined up with their thumbs out - their only belongings slung over their shoulder - trying to escape the ruins.
Some residents in Hatay said many lives were lost as no one was there to rescue them from the rubble. (Source: 1News)
For the homeless who have chosen not to or cannot leave, they have turned classrooms, fields and any shelter they can find into temporary homes.
Several families crammed into a McDonald's playground - children held close to their mothers as they slept on the plastic slides.
These scenes will be hard to forget, but in some ways, they should be.
The question of how these cities rebuild is a tough one to answer. Many with no homes, jobs or families can't comprehend what rebuilding would look even look like. This is a crisis that continues to unfold and continues to require worldwide attention and help.
SHARE ME