Death toll in Turkey, Syria quake surpasses 7,000, Erdogan declares state of emergency

NBC news, on Tuesday, reported that the death toll in the Monday’s massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, according to officials in both countries, has reached to 7,266.

In Turkey, at least 5,434 people were killed and 22,168 injured, according to Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble.

In Syria, at least 812 people were killed, with an- other 1,832 injured in the affected areas, according to the Syrian health ministry.

At least 1,020 people have died and 2,400 injured in Syria’s rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.

Countries around the world, including the United States, are reportedly sending search and rescue teams to the disaster region scour the rubble.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the combined count could reach 20,000 and that 23 million people could be affected by the disaster.

More than 26,000 people have also been reported injured so far, according to data from Turkey’s government, Syrian state media, and the humanitarian organisation, White Helmets, Time Magazine reported.

President Erdogan has announced a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces worst-affected by an earthquake.

In a televised address, Mr Erdogan said the state of emergency is to ensure that rescue work can be
“carried out quickly” in the country’s south-east.