UPDATE 2 - Over 22,300 dead from powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY TURKISH HEALTH MINISTER; REVISES NUMBERS; OTHER CHANGES THROUGHOUT

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – At least 22,327 people died and 80,278 others were injured in two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country's health minister said on Saturday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also 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 less than 10 hours.

Speaking to the media, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said: "Healthcare services are being provided with no letup in all our provinces."

Saying that there are enough healthcare personnel on the ground, Koca called on health volunteers to not "move outside of the planning of the provincial health directorate so as not to cause chaos."

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

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

In a media briefing, AFAD’s Orhan Tatar said the 7.7 magnitude earthquake 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) is nothing more than a simple mass movement triggered by the earthquake and that we see very often after tremors."

- Türkiye sets up air corridor

After the initial earthquake, an air aid corridor was created by the Turkish Armed Forces to deliver search and rescue teams to the region.

A large number of aircraft for transport, including A-400Ms, carried search and rescue teams and vehicles to the region. Ambulance planes are also using the air aid corridor.

National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters on Saturday that at least 63 aircraft have conducted 707 sorties so far.

A total of 9,780 qualified armed personnel have delivered 625 tons of materials to the disaster zone, Akar said, adding that 61 aircraft from 34 countries have carried out 147 sorties.

Moreover, 41 Akinci drones have flown nearly 400 hours to coordinate work in quake-hit areas.

According to Akar, a total of 24 ships were also assigned to the region for personnel and material shipment and evacuation at the Gulf of Iskenderun.

"With 25,067 personnel, the Turkish Armed Forces is taking part in (rescue) efforts in the earthquake zone," Akar added.

He also said 6,500 personnel as well as 212 search and rescue dogs from 63 countries are taking part in rescue operations.

Separately, the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change identified 7,584 wrecked or in need of urgent demolish structures and 12,617 heavily damaged buildings in 10 provinces affected by the earthquake.

- 'Disaster of the century'

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.

In earlier remarks on Friday, Erdogan said the history of Türkiye is challenged by some of the biggest disasters, referring to the quakes in the country's southern provinces.

Also on Thursday, Erdogan said the quakes in southern Türkiye can be described as "disaster of the century," adding that the state has mobilized all its means to help the victims.

To inspect the ongoing search, rescue and relief efforts, Erdogan has so far visited Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Kilis, Adiyaman, and Malatya, where he met earthquake victims.

He visited other quake-hit southern provinces of Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa on Saturday.

The Turkish parliament on Thursday approved a three-month state of emergency to speed up aid efforts.

The country is also observing seven days of national mourning in the wake of the disaster.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.