More than 7,000 people, including neighboring Syria, have died in the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in areas hit by two major earthquakes. This will allow the government to move more flexibly toward rescue and reconstruction.
In the affected areas, hard work continues in the bitter cold to rescue survivors buried in the rubble. More than 11,000 buildings were damaged by the earthquake. Thousands of people could be stranded beneath it, making rescue a race against time. Emergency relief teams began arriving from overseas.
The Turkish government is overwhelmed by the logistical challenges and the amount of assistance needed by the roughly 13.4 million residents of the affected areas.
Earthquakes Strike Southern Turkey
Deadly quakes were felt in Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq and Israel
Sources: Joint Research Centre of the European Commission’s Rapid Natech Risk Assessment; United Nations’ Demographic Yearbook
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Agency (AFAD) said the first quake struck near Gaziantep in the early hours of Saturday. The magnitude of the earthquake was magnitude (M) 7.7. Nine hours later, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near the original epicenter.
It has been more than 24 hours since oil shipments to major export terminals were halted as a precaution, with damage to roads and airports.
Turkish stocks plunged on Thursday. The Istanbul 100 Index, a major stock index, closed 8.6% lower. The rate of decline from the peak on January 2 exceeded 20%,bear marketis in.
Rescue workers in Iskenderun, Turkey (February 7)
Photographer: Burak Kara/Getty Images
news-rsf-original-reference paywall">Original title:Quake Latest: Turkey Declares Emergency Rule as Death Toll Jumps(excerpt)
