Albania declares day of national mourning after Türkiye, Syria earthquakes

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The Albanian government decided Friday to declare one day of national mourning after earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria earlier this week.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said Monday Feb. 13 will be a national day of mourning as a sign of pain and prayer for the victims of the tragedy at the Turkish-Syrian border.

''A sign of solidarity with friendly Turkey, which was near us when a disaster similarly hit Albania a while ago,'' said Rama.

He said lowering the national flag at half-staff and lighting a candle by anyone at the will of the opportunity will be meaningful.

Albania sent a 73-person search and rescue team to Turkey. The team continues activities in Adana.

The numbers have soared to at least 20,213 people killed and 80,052 injured by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Friday.

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

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