Death Toll from Earthquake in Turkey Rises to 6,957, with 38,224 Injured

The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Turkey has risen to 6,957, with 38,224 injured, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay. On Wednesday, Oktay stated that the number of buildings that completely collapsed in the earthquake has reached 5,775, noting that these figures are all preliminary statistics. Meanwhile, the Russian Emergency Ministry announced the preparation of an additional group of rescuers to be sent to Turkey. RT's correspondent reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the earthquake area this morning to assess the situation on the ground. Seismologists reported an aftershock measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale in central Turkey. In the meantime, the official Turkish Gazette published the presidential decree declaring a state of emergency for three months in the ten provinces affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, which has now come into effect. The state of emergency will last for three months in the provinces of Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Şanlıurfa. A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday, followed hours later by another quake of 7.6 magnitude, along with dozens of aftershocks, resulting in significant losses of life and property in both countries.