ISTANBUL, Feb 7 —President Tayyip Erdogan today declared as a disaster zone the 10 provinces affected by the devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey, imposing a state of emergency in the region for three months.

In a speech, Erdogan said that 70 countries had offered help in search and rescue operations and that Turkey planned to open up hotels in the tourism hub of Antalya, to the west, to temporarily house people impacted by the quakes.

He said the death toll in Turkey had risen to 3,549 people. — Reuters