Over 3,545 people killed as powerful quakes hit southern Türkiye VIDEO

Baku, February 7, AZERTAC

At least 3,549 people were killed and 22,168 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye after two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southern part of the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, according to Anadolu Agency.

Early Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province, then about nine hours later, a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras’s Elbistan district rocked the region, affecting several other provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The earthquake was also felt in several countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.

"3,549 citizens lost their lives, and 22,168 citizens were injured. The fact that over 8,000 of our citizens have been rescued from the wreckage is our greatest relief," Erdogan said in the capital Ankara.

The total number of search and rescue personnel assigned in the region is 25,693, the number of vehicles is 360, and the number of construction equipment is 3,361, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in a statement.

As a result of the negotiations with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, a total 2,769 personnel from 65 countries were sent to the disaster area, it added.