In photo: Thousands of Marawi City residents return to shattered city

Thousands of residents wait to pass through a military check point after authorities allowed them to visit their destroyed houses at the main battle area in Marawi City, in southern island of Mindanao on April 1, 2018.
After fleeing for their lives nearly a year ago, residents of the battle-scarred Philippine city of Marawi made their first visit back on April 1 to dig through the rubble that was once their homes. / AFP PHOTO / TED ALJIBE