3-month state of emergency in Türkiye's 10 quake-hit provinces enters into force

A three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in Türkiye's quake-hit provinces entered into force on Thursday after it was approved by lawmakers.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the province of Kahramanmaras, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced the three-month state of emergency to speed up search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit provinces.

At least 16,170 people were killed and 64,194 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier this week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.