Turkey Commemorates Its Worst Disaster of Modern Times

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presents a woman a key to a post-quake house during the Drawing and Key Handover Ceremony of Post-Quake Houses, in Hatay, southern Turkey, Feb. 3. 2024. (Photo by Handout/Turkish Presidential Press Service / AFP) FILE - A woman sits on the rubble as emergency rescue teams search for people under the remains of destroyed buildings in Nurdagi town on the outskirts of Osmaniye city southern Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023. FILE - Members of a family keep warm next to a fire as they follow a rescue team searching for their relatives among destroyed building in Antakya, southern Turkey, Feb. 15, 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poses for a photograph after presenting a key to a woman for a post-quake house during the Drawing and Key Handover Ceremony of Post-Quake Houses in Hatay, southern Turkey. (Photo by handout / Turkish Press Service / AFP)

Turkey on Tuesday holds pre-dawn vigils for the loss of more than 50,000 people -- and parts of entire cities — in the earthquake-prone country's deadliest disaster of modern times.