ANKARA: The death toll in Turkey and Syria has reached more than 3,800 after earthquakes jolted the two nations on Monday. The total number of injured in Syria and Turkey has reached 15,914 following earthquakes.
At least 2,379 people were killed and 14,483 others injured in Turkey after earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.
Syrian Ministry of Health said that the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 711 and 1431 others have been injured in Syria, including in Lattakia, Aleppo, Hama and Tartus, SANA reported. Meanwhile, Syrian Civil Defense, known as the “White Helmets,” said there were 740 deaths in regions controlled by the opposition, CNN reported.
On Monday, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 centered in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras and hit several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis, as per the Anadolu Agency report. Later in the day, an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude centered in Kahramanmaras’s Elbistan district jolted the region.
The earthquake was also felt in several neighboring countries, including Lebanon and Syria.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said that 7,840 people have been rescued from the rubble as 11,022 search and rescue teams were working in the region. He said that 338,000 earthquake victims have been kept in dormitories, universities and shelters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey will observe seven days of national mourning after earthquakes hit several southern provinces.
Erdogan in a tweet stated, “Due to the earthquakes that took place in our country on Feb. 6, a national mourning period was declared for seven days. Our flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, Feb. 12, in all our country and foreign representations.”
Erdogan said that Turkey was shaken by the “biggest disaster” with the earthquake since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. Speaking at the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) office in Ankara, he said that Turkey has taken action with all its institutions and all resources have been mobilized, Anadolu Agency reported.
Meanwhile, Syria’s Deputy Minister of Health Ahmed Damiriya said that four truckloads of medicines and surgical and emergency supplies were sent to Aleppo, Lattakia, and Hama in addition to sending medical convoys, 28 ambulances, and seven mobile clinics to Aleppo and Lattakia, as per the SANA report.
Syria has requested United Nations member states, the General Secretariat of the Organization, its agencies and funds, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and international organizations to help and support the efforts made by the Syrian government in facing the repercussions of the devastating earthquake. (ANI)