Turkey Declares 7 Days Mourning After Deadly Earthquake Killed Almost 3000 People

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has declared seven days of national mourning after deadly earthquake killed more than 2,651 people in Turkey and Syria.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday while people were asleep.

A new 7.5-magnitude tremor hit at around 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT), which officials said was “not an aftershock.”

Erdogan declared seven days national mourning after over 1,650 people died in Turkey alone following two earthquakes which struck the country on Monday morning

This put the combined total in Turkey and neighboring 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.