2000 Photo Contest, Nature, 1st prize
Photographer

Enric Martí

The Associated Press

18 August, 1999

A firefighting plane sheds its load over the Tupras Oil refinery in Izmit, Turkey. The refinery had been on fire since an earthquake hit the area early the day before. Firefighters could not pump water to fight the blaze, because the quake had knocked out electricity to the region. The earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the Richter scale, claimed more than 17,000 lives and made hundreds of thousands homeless. It was not only a humanitarian disaster, but had a severe impact on the Turkish economy, as the affected area formed the industrial heart of the country.

About the photographer

Enric Martí

Enric Martí began his career as photo assistant with Agence France-Presse in Managua, Nicaragua in 1989, and then worked as local stringer for Reuters. In 1992 he moved to Saraje...

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