Photos of a dog sitting among rubble, a crying child, an elderly man shedding tears and a heavily damaged building have been shared in multiple social media posts that falsely claim they show the aftermath of a series of violent earthquakes that rocked parts of Turkey and Syria in February 2023. The tremors -- the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8 magnitude -- killed at least 4,300 people and felled thousands of buildings. The photos, however, had all been shared in reports and on stock photo websites before the earthquake.

"Photos of the site of the tragic Turkey earthquake. They say the number of dead has reached 1,800 and they can't estimate how much more there will be," reads a Korean-language post shared alongside the photos here on Facebook on February 7, 2023.

The post has been shared more than 50 times.

It includes four photos that appear to show a dog sitting beside a person apparently crushed by rubble; a boy sitting among rubble with his head in his hands; an elderly man shedding tears as he carries several loaves of bread near in front of a wrecked building; and a heavily damaged building apparently being demolished by an excavator.

Screenshot of the misleading claim on Facebook. Captured February 7, 2023.

The photos circulated after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked part of eastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, killing thousands of people and felling thousands of buildings.

As of February 6, the death toll had soared above 4,300 but there...

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