State of Emergency Declared in Turkey After Devastating Earthquake:
Erdogan Imposes Three-Month Measures
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces hit hardest by a deadly earthquake. The death toll in Turkey has risen to 3,549, with over 1,600 reported deaths in Syria. In a televised speech, President Erdogan stated that the state of emergency would facilitate prompt rescue efforts and enable relief workers and financial aid to reach the affected areas in the southeast of the country. However, no further information was given. The state of emergency will conclude shortly before the May 14th elections, in which President Erdogan aims to retain power after 20 years. Turkey previously imposed a state of emergency in 2016 after a failed coup attempt and lifted it two years later.
Rescuers in Turkey face difficult conditions as they rush to save survivors of the earthquake that struck on Monday morning. The World Health Organization warns that the death toll may rise significantly as rescuers find more victims. Heavy machinery was used throughout the night in the city of Adana, where collapsed buildings were illuminated by lights. "Allahu Akbar" was shouted out when survivors were found or the dead were recovered. Adana is filled with the homeless, those who lost their homes and others too afraid of aftershocks to return, leaving without essentials like shoes, coats, and phone chargers. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing later this week.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.8 and a depth of 17.9km, hit near the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 (01:17 GMT). A later tremor had a magnitude of 7.5 and was centered in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province. On Tuesday morning, the main highway to the city of Maras was at a standstill, with few rescuers having reached that area yet. One rescue team en route to Maras told the BBC they were eager to start looking for survivors but had no idea of the extent of the devastation.
According to the latest statement from Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 8,000 people have been rescued from over 4,700 destroyed buildings. Search efforts are being hampered by freezing conditions and ongoing aftershocks, with rescuers in some areas using their bare hands to dig through rubble. In the southern province of Hatay, a woman's voice was heard calling for help under a pile of rubble. "We're devastated," said a resident. "They're calling out, saying 'Save us,' but we can't save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning." In Hatay, Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, who plays for Turkish club Hatayspor, was pulled from a building with injuries, while the club's sporting director, Taner Savut, remains under the rubble.
The death toll from the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey has reached 1,600, with many of the victims being refugees living in camps near the Turkish border. This area is located in a highly seismic zone and has experienced devastating earthquakes in the past, such as the 1999 quake that killed over 17,000 people in the northwest and the 1939 quake that claimed 33,000 lives in eastern Erzincan. The recent quake was so strong that it was felt in countries as far as Cyprus, Lebanon, and Israel.
(Additional reporting by Antoinette Radford and George Wright in London)
Source - BBC
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