Erdogan heads to southern Türkiye to inspect quake-hit areas

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay another visit to Türkiye's south on February 9 to monitor search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit areas.

At least 12,873 people were killed and 62,937 others were injured in two powerful earthquakes which jolted southern Türkiye on February 6, according to Anadolu Agency.

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

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

Erdogan is expected to visit Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis provinces.

On February 8, he inspected the ongoing search and rescue, as well as relief efforts in the Adana, Hatay, and Kahramanmaras provinces, as well as one of the epicentres Pazarcik, where he met survivors in tent cities.

To speed up search and rescue operations more, Türkiye on February 7 announced a three-month state of emergency in the quake-hit provinces.