Turkish Red Crescent erecting tents for earthquake victims in southern Türkiye

The Turkish Red Crescent, or Türk Kizilay, said that tents for 10,000 people are being erected in the region of southern Türkiye jolted by powerful earthquakes on Monday.

In a statement, Türk Kizilay said that the tents are being set up with the support of Turkish soldiers and volunteers.

In addition to the tents, blankets, heaters, clothes, and food from central warehouses and surrounding provinces are being dispatched to the affected areas.

With 77 catering vehicles, 16 mobile kitchens, five field kitchens, two mobile ovens, and a container kitchen in the regions, the aid group has provided food to nearly 200,000 people in the first 24 hours of the disaster, according to the statement.

After dispatching almost 2,000 staff and volunteers on the first day, Türk Kizilay continues its human resources shipment on the second day of the earthquake. Its personnel and volunteers are providing logistical support to search and rescue teams, as well as food and shelter to disaster victims.

On the first day of the disaster, Türk Kizilay provided blood and blood products needed by the hospitals in the region and called on people to donate blood.

The voluntary blood donations to the Red Crescent on the first day passed 40,000 units.

It warned that blood is a treatment tool that cannot be stored for a long time, and that blood donation should be spread over days.

Türk Kizilay units will continue to accept blood donations according to the country's needs on Tuesday and in the coming days.

At least 3,432 people were killed and 21,103 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye due to two strong earthquakes that jolted the southern part of the country, an official from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said on Tuesday.

Early Monday morning, a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province and strongly shook several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis.

Then at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT), a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras' Elbistan district struck the region.

Türkiye's Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday that more than 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble so far.

A total of 3,294 search and rescue personnel reached Türkiye from 14 countries, including Azerbaijan and Russia, the vice president said.

The earthquakes were also felt in several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon.