The Berkeley neighborhood of Izmir on the Aegean Sea is new compared to the rest of the century-old city.
Developed in the early 2000s, it is a mixture of middle-class residences and lavish office towers.
But 20 of those buildings have now collapsed. Most of them were on their side, four of them had collapsed on themselves. All of them are within a few hundred meters of each other.
With many people severely damaged, police officers are warning people to stay away from cordoned off areas, for fear of an earthquake. Another breakdown.
It feels like a normal Friday night, but as I got close, crowds of people and cars parked on both sides of the road to approach the rescue site were beating me.
People were standing outside and sitting in nearby cafes, assembling their cars to spend the night with relatives or in second homes in nearby resort towns.
A small family of three chose to stay in their car with their seven-year-old daughters.
The building was so badly damaged that they were unable to return to their apartment.
People found under the rubble are sent to two different hospitals
Everyone appears to be afraid to return home – especially those who live near the areas that have suffered the most damage.
It reached one block and only the rubble of the seven-story building remained.
Previously there were 28 apartments, but now only a mountain of dust and concrete can be seen.
A young father and son watch closely the rescue operation and attract my attention.
When asked if he lived in the building, the father said: “No, I only live next door, but our friends live here and lose their daughter.”
Many are afraid to return indoors for fear that their buildings will also collapse
Elif Inan, nine, was alone at home when the earthquake struck.
Her parents were at work and no one was with her.
Her mother is in severe distress, sits on a folded chair, held by her friend and relatives.
She saw pieces of furniture under the rubble and rushed to the teams on the ground, wondering if “Elif” was near her.
Twenty buildings collapsed in Berkeley
Police officers are warning people to keep away from the rescue site
You’re brought back to safety, but all you want is just a glimmer of hope, some information about what could have happened.
Could Elif still be down there? Maybe I was discharged and hospitalized.
An official from the rescue operation comes to tell her that her daughter may have been taken to a hospital, where those found under the rubble are sent.
She remained in a folding chair outside the building while her husband went to check the hospitals.
Further away, I could see small groups strewn along the street sitting in chairs looking at the same building.
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This 75-year-old guy called Yasar Koza,
He had just gone out to buy some bread. But when he returned, his home was gone.
“I just saw a huge cloud of dust and my house is gone,” he told Sky News.
He hopes his wife will survive.
“Nobody gives me any information,” he says. “You might be in the hospital but I don’t know. I can’t leave, you can stay underground.”
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