The death toll from earthquakes rises to 3,703, and Erdogan declares a state of emergency in the affected states

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that the death toll from the earthquake rose to 3,703 dead and 22,286 injured, while the Turkish president declared a state of emergency in the ten affected areas, for a period of 3 months, based on Article 119 of the constitution.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that the death toll from the earthquake rose to 3,703 dead and 22,286 injured.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in the ten affected areas, for a period of 3 months, based on Article 119 of the constitution.

The Turkish president also decided, in a speech he delivered while he was at the headquarters of the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management "AFAD" in the capital, Ankara, to suspend education throughout the country until February 13, and in disaster areas (earthquakes) until the 20th of this month.

Regarding rescue operations, the Turkish president said, "We have pulled out more than 8,000 people from under the rubble so far, and thousands of expert members of the gendarmerie are on top of their work in the disaster area, in addition to 26 cargo planes, ships and coast guard boats."

He added, "53,317 personnel are currently working in search and rescue operations, and the number is increasing from Turkey and abroad. So far, we have sent 1,000 ambulances, 241 national medical rescue teams, two ambulances, and 5,000 health workers to the earthquake-affected areas."

Erdogan stressed that "search and rescue teams, the armed forces, security forces, gendarmerie and civil defense are in the earthquake-hit areas," noting that planes were sent to carry aid to those areas.

He continued, "We have allocated 100 billion pounds ($5.26 billion) primarily at the disposal of our institutions for emergency aid and support activities, and we are now working on accurate diagnosis of the extent of earthquakes through drones, and through them we diagnose the areas that have been damaged."

The Turkish president reassured the citizens, saying: "All state institutions are in the field, and rescue efforts have begun. The strength of the earthquakes affected a large number of citizens, but despite the difficult weather conditions, there are movements from all parts of the country to the earthquake-hit areas, and we are using all the state's capabilities for search and rescue." .