Three-month state of emergency declared aftermath of Turkey earthquake as death toll reaches 5,000

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announces a three-month state of emergency across 10 provinces worst affected by Monday’s devastating earthquakes.

Adana (Turkiye), Feb 7: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turksh president on Tuesday declared 3-month state of emergency in 10 provinces hit by massive earthquakes, reported Turkey's Anadolu news agency citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In a televised remark, Erdogan said a series of emergency measures would be taken to flood the affected areas with humanitarian relief workers and financial aid.

"We have decided to declare a state of emergency to ensure that our (rescue and recovery) work can be carried out quickly," Erdogan.

It came as Turkey was rocked by fifth earthquake of 5.6 magnitude, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.

Rescuers raced Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck eastern Turkiye and neighbouringSyria, with the discovery of more bodies raising the death toll to more than 5,000.

Countries around the world dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts, and Turkiye's disaster management agency said more than 24,400 emergency personnel were now on the ground. But with such a wide swath of territory hit by Monday's earthquake and nearly 6,000 buildings confirmed to have collapsed in Turkiye alone, their efforts were spread thin.

Attempts to reach survivors were also impeded by temperatures below freezing and close to 200 aftershocks, which made the search through unstable structures perilous.

The latest state of emergency was declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 20 July 2016 following a failed military coup attempt in Turkey on 15 July 2016 by a faction of the country's armed forces. It was lifted on 18 July 2018. During this period, the government had expanded powers to take measures to protect national security and maintain public order.

The state of emergency allowed the government to bypass the Parliament and rule by decrees, which resulted in significant changes to the country's political landscape.