Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, has declared seven days of national mourning following the deadly earthquake that left more than 2,651 people dead in both Turkey and Syria.
People were asleep when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Gaziantep occurred early on Monday.
Around 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT), a new 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck, which authorities described as “not an aftershock.”
Erdogan proclaimed a seven-day period of national mourning after two earthquakes that struck Turkey today alone resulted in the deaths of more than 1,650 people.
This put the combined total in Turkey and neighbouring Syria to 2,651.
The president, in a tweet, said “Due to the earthquakes that took place in our country on February 6, 2023, a national mourning period was declared for seven days.
“Our flag will be hoisted at half-mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023, in all our country and foreign representations.”
Rescuers are racing to save people trapped beneath the rubble after hundreds of buildings collapsed in both countries.
Syrian authorities are reporting 810 dead and more than 2,000 injured, according to the AFP news agency.
World leaders have pledged to send aid after Turkey issued an international appeal for help. Millions of people across Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel felt the earthquake.
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