Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 provinces hardest hit by the earthquake that killed thousands. Erdogan said the death toll in Turkey had risen to 3,549. More than 1,600 people are said to have died in Syria. Erdogan said in a televised address that the emergency was aimed at enabling “rapid implementation” of relief operations in the southeast of the country.
He said the measure would allow relief workers and financial assistance to the affected areas, but did not provide further details. The state of emergency ends just before the May 14 elections, when Erdogan will try to stay in power after 20 years. Rescuers in Turkey are battling heavy rain and snow as they race against the clock to find survivors of the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Monday. The World Health Organization has warned the toll may rise dramatically as rescuers find more victims.
Thousands of children may be among the dead following the earthquake and aftershocks, the United Nations has said. Heavy machinery worked through the night in the city of Adana, with lights illuminating the collapsed buildings and huge slabs of concrete, in scenes repeated across southern Turkey. Occasionally the work stopped and a call of “Allahu Akbar” rose up when a survivor was found, or when the dead were recovered.
However, the earthquake caused significant damage to three airports across Turkey and also created challenges for the delivery of relief supplies. At least 1,600 people are known to have died in Syria, where millions of refugees live in camps on the Turkish border. Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic belts in the world. In 1999, an earthquake in the northwest killed more than 17,000 people.
