According to Vice President Fuat Oktay, at least 3,419 people were killed and 20,534 were injured in 10 provinces of Turkey after two major earthquakes rattled the country’s southern portion on Monday.
A 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province early Monday morning, followed by a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras’ Elbistan district, affecting several other provinces including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
The earthquake was also felt in several neighboring countries, including Lebanon and Syria.
So far, more than 8,000 people have been rescued from the wreckage, according to Oktay.
He noted that at least 315 aftershocks had been registered since the two main quakes.
According to the vice president, 3,294 search and rescue professionals arrived in Turkey from 14 countries, including Azerbaijan and Russia.
According to Orhan Tatar, general director of earthquake and risk reduction at the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, up to 5,775 buildings fell (AFAD).
He went on to say that over 24,000 people are actively involved in search and rescue activities.
According to Tatar, the quakes’ impact area is around 110,000 square kilometers (42,500 square miles).
According to Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum, the quakes have directly touched 13.5 million individuals.
‘Biggest disaster’ since 1939 Erzincan quake
Following the tragic earthquakes, Turkey has declared a seven-day national mourning period.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday that the quake was the “worst calamity” to hit Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake.
“Since the earthquake, our state has taken action through all of its institutions. All available resources have been deployed “He spoke at the AFAD office in Ankara, where he was coordinating rescue and relief efforts.
Erdogan also urged the nation to have “one heart,” stating, “I believe we will put these tragic days behind as a country and nation in unity and solidarity.”
Following the initial earthquake, the Turkish Armed Forces established a “air assistance corridor” to transport search and rescue crews to the region.
A large number of transport planes, notably A-400Ms, flew search and rescue teams and vehicles to the area. The air aid corridor is also used by ambulance flights.
In addition to rescue personnel, blankets, tents, food, and psychological support teams were sent to the area.
Following the earthquakes, sympathies flowed in from all over the world, with several countries sending rescue teams and aid to Turkey.