At least 284 people were killed and 2,323 others injured in 10 provinces after a strong earthquake jolted southern Türkiye on Monday morning, Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
A total of 1,710 buildings were collapsed after the earthquake, Oktay said at a news conference.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the 7.4 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (0117GMT) and was centered in the Pazarcik district in Türkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras. The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles).
AFAD said in a statement that 78 aftershocks occurred following the earthquake.
Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis provinces are heavily affected by the quake.
"Our President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) has been following and managing the event since the moment of the earthquake," Oktay said.
He added that Hatay Airport is currently closed to flights, saying they have also closed Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep to civil flights.
The vice president also said all schools in these 10 provinces are closed for a week.
"102 mobile base stations have been sent to the earthquake zones so far," Oktay said.
He also called on all media organizations, institutions, and organizations to rely on official statements in order not to cause information pollution.
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