Erdogan declares 3 month state of emergency as death toll tops 3,549

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In light of the fatal and devastating earthquakes that have hit Turkey and Syria, a state of emergency for three months has been declared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 10 affected provinces. 

In his speech to the disaster-stricken nation, Erdogan said: "We will rapidly complete the presidential and parliamentary processes regarding the decision on a state of emergency, which will last three months and cover 10 earthquake-affected provinces,"

The 10 provinces include Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, and Gaziantep. 

Death count tops 3,549, not final toll

As of today, Erdogan confirmed that so far 3,549 are dead and 22,168 are injured.

"The biggest consolation for us is that today more than 8,000 of our citizens have been rescued alive from the rubble," Erdogan said. 

The General Director of Earthquake Risk Reduction in Disaster and Emergency Management, Orhan Tatar, said that 1,511 heavy equipment and 216 vehicles have been allocated for search and rescue operations, pointing out that the Turkish Red Crescent has sent 82 vehicles, 21 mobile kitchens, a mobile oven, 156 vehicles and a team of 975 personnel, to the area.

AFAD also noted the collapse of 6,217 buildings in Turkish cities hit by the earthquake.

Ankara designates $5 billion for aftermath

More than $5 billion has been allocated by Ankara on Tuesday to repair the damage of the disaster, "It was decided to allocate 100 billion liras [$5.3 billion] to our departments to eliminate the consequences of the disaster," Erdogan said. 

He also confirmed that 53,000 people are partaking in search and rescue operations, while emergency services provided more than 54,000 tents, 102,000 mattresses, and other essentials to shelter those affected.

Regarding aid to Turkey, China Central Television reported that Beijing will provide a first payment of 40 million yuan (approximately $6 million) in emergency aid to support relief efforts in Turkey. The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the deployment of a search and rescue team to Turkey.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian also confirmed, in a phone call to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, that his country stands by Turkey in the difficult circumstances it is going through.

In the same context, two teams of Russian rescuers arrived in Kahramanmaras, one of the cities most affected by the earthquake in southeastern Turkey, at dawn Tuesday. Pakistan has also sent search and rescue teams, as well as relief aid to Turkey, as a show of solidarity following the earthquakes that struck the country's south.