Türkiye earthquake death toll exceeds 21,000

The number of people who died as a result of the powerful earthquake in Türkiye has reached 21,043, with 80,097 people injured, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"The earthquake that occurred on Monday was three times as devastating as the 1999 earthquake in the Sea of Marmara. The death toll is 21,043, and 80,097 people have been injured," the Turkish leader said.

Powerful 7.7-and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on Monday. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in 10 provinces as well as in neighboring countries, of which Syria was hardest hit.