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At least 912 killed in quake – Erdogan Death toll in Turkish quake surpasses 1,000 – authorities
(about 4 hours later)
The tremor has left 5,385 injured and is the most powerful in decades, the Turkish president has said The disaster has also left over 7,600 injured and destroyed several thousand buildings
A powerful earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday morning has killed more than 900 people, leaving more than 5,000 wounded, the nation’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. A powerful earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday morning has killed more than 1,000 people and left over 7,000 injured, according to the latest figures released by the nation’s authorities.
Speaking in the aftermath of the tragedy, Erdogan said that the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that wreaked havoc in the central part of the country had claimed the lives of 912 people, with 5,385 injured. “2,470 people were rescued from the rubble, and 2,818 buildings were destroyed,” he stated. Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that casualties had been reported in several provinces and that the death toll had reached 1,121.
The president noted that local authorities “had mobilized all their means,” adding that the response efforts involve not only the ten provinces hit by the disaster, but also ten other regional governors. The agency estimated the number of injured across the provinces at 7,634, adding that at least 2,834 buildings have been destroyed.
He said that priority had been given to search and rescue efforts aimed at freeing those who are still stuck under the rubble. In total, 9,000 personnel are involved, with this number constantly increasing, Erdogan said. AFAD President Yunus Sezer also noted that, “there have been 105 aftershocks so far”.
He went on to describe the tragedy as “the biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake” in eastern Türkiye which killed an estimated 32,000 people and injured 100,000. Despite the powerful jolts, for now there is no tsunami threat that could affect Türkiye’s Eastern Mediterranean, the AFAD noted.
The calamity has also hit neighboring Syria, with the nation’s health ministry saying that the death toll has reached 326 people across several provinces, with 1,042 injured. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated earlier that local authorities “have mobilized all their means,” adding that the response efforts involved not only officials in the ten provinces hit by the disaster but in ten other provinces as well.
He said that priority had been given to search and rescue efforts to reach those still stuck under the rubble. In total, 9,000 people are involved in such efforts, a number that is constantly increasing, Erdogan added.
He described the quake as “the biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake” in eastern Türkiye, which killed an estimated 32,000 people and injured 100,000.
The calamity has also hit neighboring Syria, with the nation’s health ministry saying that the death toll has surpassed 300 people in several provinces, with over 1,000 injured.