ANKARA: The powerful twin earthquakes which hit southern Türkiye this week were three times stronger than the major 1999 Marmara earthquake in the country’s northwest, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.
“They were three times more powerful and destructive than the 1999 earthquake, which was recorded as the biggest disaster in our country’s history,” Erdogan said in the southeastern Diyarbakir province, a quake-hit area he is visiting to inspect search and rescue efforts.
“They are also recorded to be much larger and more destructive disaster than the 1939 Erzincan earthquake,” he added.
The Erzincan quake in eastern Türkiye took some 33,000 lives, while the 1999 Marmara earthquake took some 18,000.
Erdogan later visited Sanliurfa and said at least 21,848 people have been killed and 80,104 others injured since the twin earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, hit southern Türkiye on Monday.
“Currently, 160,000 personnel are working in 10 provinces, together with teams from abroad,” said Erdogan, who also met with quake victims in Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
.. Saudis donate over $66 million for quake victims
More than 700,000 people participated in a donation campaign in Saudi Arabia that has so far collected over 250 million riyals ($66.6 million) for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.
The campaign saw the participation of 709,775 people, according to data released by the Saudi government’s Sahem Platform, which is responsible for the popular campaign for relief of the quake victims in the two countries.
The donation campaign was launched on Wednesday by the King Salman Relief Center, a day after King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the center to operate an air bridge and organize a popular campaign through the Sahem Platform, to support Türkiye and Syria in the wake of the earthquakes.
The frequent update of the campaign platform shows a remarkable increase in the number of participants and the value of donations since its launch.
Sixteen Arab countries officially announced the launch of air bridges and the provision of urgent relief and medical aid to support Türkiye, according to official statements.
The countries are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, and Oman.
At least 21,848 people were killed and more than 80,088 others injured by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, according to the latest official figures.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces in Türkiye, and also affected several countries in the region.
