Moment Of Explosion: Photographer Captures The Exact Moment Tank Shell Hit Syrian Rebels
Tracey Shelton was documenting men of the Noor Den al-Zenke battalion when they received a call about a tank spotted nearby. The men grabbed weapons and within seconds the tank shell hit. Shelton was mere meters away and managed to capture the exact moment of the explosion.
Tracey Shelton, a photographer and reporter for GlobalPost.com has been covering the events in the Syrian civil war which devastated the city of Aleppo almost beyond recognition. And recently the reporter witnessed from up close... in fact, almost too close.
She was documenting men of the Noor Den al-Zenke battalion when they received a call about a tank spotted nearby. The men grabbed weapons and within seconds the tank shell hit. Shelton was mere meters away and managed to capture the exact moment of the explosion:
"As the cloud of smoke engulfed the street we ran back and frantically waited for the others to escape through the dust and debris. But no one came. In that split second, three men were reduced to broken, bleeding masses. After a few minutes of disorientation, a vehicle arrived to transport the bodies. The survivors washed away the blood and flesh in a heartbreaking clean-up. New fighters came to take their posts. And the battle continued," Tracey Shelton reports on GlobalPost.com.
More info: tracey shelton | globalpost.com (h/t: fstoppers)
From left to right: Issa Aiash, 30, father of three, his young brother Ahmed, 17, and Sheihk Mamoud, 42, father of a newborn son, laugh and joke as they clean their post on Saturday.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
A call comes through that a tank was spotted nearby. The men immediately grab weapons.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
Within seconds the tank blast has already hit.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
Debris and smoke fill the street around 30 meters back - covering me and the camera in dust.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
This man was the only survivor.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
He escaped with injuries.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
It took several minutes before the dust cleared enough to check for more survivors, but there was nothing we could do.
Story and images by Tracey Shelton - GlobalPost
Here you can see the comparison of Aleppo city before and after the civil war.
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