Softly patting the ground, the tearful mourner bids farewell to the deceased -- one among 1,000 resting in a hastily-made cemetery that used to be a cotton field in southern Turkey.
All he has to identify his loved one who died in Monday's massive quake is a concrete slab with a number.
The road leading to Antakya is blocked by vans carrying more bodies as the death toll mounts with each passing day. Within a few minutes, the bodies are covered by earth and the concrete slabs spray-painted with the numbers 94, 95, 96 and 97 serving as temporary tombstones. The stench of death is overpowering. A volunteer, in a black coat and blue vest, hands out gloves and surgical masks.
The scale of the tragedy has been overwhelming. "It's terrible," he said, fatigue etched onto his face."A lot," said the imam, in blue jeans and vest.
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