Over 20,600 dead from powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye

ANKARA (AA) – At least 20,665 people died and 80,088 others were injured in two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country’s disaster agency said on Saturday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

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

More than 166,000 search and rescue personnel are currently working in the field, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

Almost 92,700 people have been evacuated from quake-hit regions so far, AFAD said.

In a media briefing, AFAD official Orhan Tatar said the 7.7 magnitude earthquake made an effect of and released energy as powerful as 500 atomic bombs.

Tatar also dismissed the social media claims of volcanic activity in southern Kahramanmaras’ Goksu district after the powerful earthquakes, saying that “there is no lava flow, volcanic ash, oil or gas emission in the region.”

He added: “According to our observations, the incident (in Goksu district) is nothing more than a simple mass movement that is triggered by the earthquake and that we see very often after tremors.”