Earthquakes in Turkey: seven days of national mourning decreed

As searches continue in Turkey, to try to find the missing and survivors in the rubble, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decreed seven days of national mourning on Monday.

Earthquakes, including two of magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, have already claimed the lives of 1,651 people in the country.

At least 11,159 others were injured

According to this decree published by the government, the flags will be flown at half-mast until sunset on Sunday February 12.

6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde ülkemizde meydana gelen depremler sebebiyle yedi gün süreyle millî yas ilan edilmiştir.

Bütün yurtta ve dış temsilciliklerimizde 12 Şubat 2023 Pazar günü güneşin batışına kadar bayrağımız yarıya çekilecektir.

pic.twitter.com/WsXvTpyr6y

— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) February 6, 2023

Earlier in the day, the Head of State had called for national unity, stating that Turkey had received offers of aid from 45 countries.

“As a country and a nation, we hope to leave these disastrous days behind us in unity and solidarity,” he shared on Twitter.

Tremors felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus

The heaviest damage was recorded near the epicenter of the night's quake, between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, where entire city blocks lay in ruins.

The toll continues to rise, with huge numbers of people remaining trapped under the collapsed buildings which number in the thousands.

The rain and snow, which fell in some places in abundance, and the expected drop in temperatures with nightfall made Monday evening even more difficult the work of the relief workers, and the situation of the inhabitants on the street.

The tremors, felt throughout the south-east of the country, were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus, according to AFP correspondents, as well as in Iraqi Kurdistan in the north of the country in Erbil and Douk.

So far, no casualties have been reported in these areas.

This seismic episode is the most important in Turkey since the earthquake of August 17, 1999, which caused the death of 17,000 people, including a thousand in Istanbul.

The country is located on one of the most active seismic zones in the world.