In the wake of two devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria within the space of 12 hours, Australia's Muslim community has turned to prayer.
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Mayfield Mosque president Yunus Kara, in NSW's Hunter region, said he was heartbroken to hear about the destruction in his home country of Turkey and Syria, where the death toll has risen to 7200 and counting.
"I was shocked, especially at the size of the earthquake," he said.
"Initially they said 70-something had passed away, and when it grew to 2500, to 3000, it's a fairly extensive earthquake.
"We will be praying this Friday in congregation for the deceased and making prayers to the wounded and to the people in need - that's the least we can do."
Mr Kara is on the board of Diyanet Sydney, the Turkish government body that manages religion and charity.
A friend of his lives near the epicentre of the earthquake and Mr Kara hasn't heard from him since the quake hit.
"Prayers would be much appreciated, we are so far away, if we were close we would give blankets, tents and warm clothing but because they are so far away we can only help financially and send them money so they can buy what's needed and distribute it among the needy," he said.
"We will be reciting verses from the Holy Quran daily and asking God Almighty to make it easy on everybody in need in general.
"We know there are people that also died in Syria, I don't know what the Turkish government will do for them but we have about five million Syrians living in Turkey as refugees."
A Victorian Central Highlands businessman, who is part of the region's Turkish community, has described the horrific scenes as "heartbreaking".
Serhan Demirceviren, a Buninyong resident and owner of Koffee Pirates in Bakery Hill, was born in Gaziantep, one of the most impacted regions in Turkey.
Mr Demirceviren, who had just returned from Turkey last Tuesday after visiting his family and friends, said he was thankful to know those most dearest to him were safe having been located in the country's western side.
However, he said he felt the immediate sense of loss for those who were being handed the harsh news of their loved ones being injured and in some instances, killed.
"My heart goes (out) to all those people at the moment, it's winter there today and that part of Turkey is actually very isolated in winter times and sometimes it's hard to get help through the roads," Mr Demirceviren said.
He said while the calamity was "deeply unfortunate" it could have been avoided if there was more thought put into the construction of a building's foundation.
"The quality of the building material that has been used, it doesn't help people to survive that sort of earthquake and they just collapse," Mr Demirceviren said.
He said the "worst part" which he believed had contributed to the deaths so far was the stacking of "hundreds of buildings".
"They don't have the houses like we do here (in Australia) and that's what would have caused all the deaths because of the multiple layers of apartments," Mr Demirceviren said.
"They're going to find lots of people under the rubble."
He said in order to minimise the damage caused by future natural disasters, the Middle Eastern nation could take inspiration for construction from east Asia.
"Japan gets a lot of earthquakes and they don't lose lives like we have because of how their structures are built," Mr Demirceviren said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
As the devastation unfolds, the US, Canada, Israel, Russia, China and the UK have offered assistance with calls for the international community to ease political aid restrictions in north-west Syria.
The first earthquake struck while people slept, measuring in at a magnitude of 7.8.
It's one of the most powerful earthquakes the region has experienced in at least a century.
There's a long road ahead, according to University of Newcastle associate professor Ifte Ahmed, an expert in disaster-resilience and post-disaster housing systems.
He said unenforced building codes and the kind of construction used to build in the affected countries have made them more vulnerable to earthquake damage.
"Even so, in an earthquake of this magnitude, 7.8, even earthquake-resistant buildings will only give you limited protection," he said.
"Having said that, so many people wouldn't lose their lives and it can be repaired quite quickly.
"It's going to be a huge task to rebuild."
Even with the right skills and materials, Mr Ahmed said the money that was available on a global scale to aid recovery in Nepal or Haiti isn't there after the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.
"In Nepal in 2015 or Haiti in 2010, there was a flood of money, very generous support around the world going to help people rebuild their homes," he said.
"It's so hard to know what the solution will be at this point, it depends on the goodwill of the international community, with the war in Ukraine the mood is different and the funding isn't available.
"It's sad but it won't happen very quickly."
He said the recovery process could take more than a decade, given Australia is looking at an eight to 10 year timeline to recover from the Lismore floods even with skilled workers and government funding.
Donations through the Mayfield Mosque can be made under the transfer description 'Earthquake' to BSB: 082-612 Acc: 872229144.
Or you can donate to the Turkish Red Crescent, which is part of the International Red Cross, by clicking here.