ANKARA

Two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye earlier in the week caused great destruction in 10 provinces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

"Earthquakes in southern Türkiye, which can be described as disaster of the century, have caused great destruction in 10 provinces," Erdogan said while inspecting search and rescue efforts in the province of Osmaniye, where he met quake victims.

Erdogan said that at least 16,546 people were killed and 66,132 others injured since two earthquakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, hit southern Türkiye on Monday, affecting more than 13 million across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, and Sanliurfa.

The president said everyone with the means was supporting search and rescue efforts and relief work.

"Hundreds of thousands of people are taking part in relief efforts. All kinds of teams and vehicles from across the country have been dispatched to the region," he added.

After visiting the earthquake victims at a hospital in Kilis, Erdogan said: "Last Monday, we were confronted with the worst earthquake this region has ever seen in its history."

Meanwhile, a three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in the quake-hit provinces also entered into force on Thursday.

Erdogan had earlier visited Gaziantep province, where he said the state of emergency would help foil the plots of moneylenders and seditious groups who try to exploit the aftermath of the quake disaster.

"Our state has been in the field with all its institutions starting from the moment of the earthquakes," he added.

The president also pledged to rebuild the region as part of a one-year plan.

Erdogan also announced that containers, also coming from abroad, will be distributed to the victims.

On Wednesday, Erdogan inspected ongoing search and rescue work, as well as relief efforts in the Adana, Hatay, and Kahramanmaras provinces, in addition to one of the quake epicenters Pazarcik, where he met survivors in tent cities.