UPDATE 2 - Northern Cyprus voices sorrow over Türkiye's deadly earthquake

ADDS PHONE CALL; CHANGES DEATH TOLL

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Monday sent condolences to Türkiye after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit southern and southeastern provinces of the country.

"On behalf of myself and my people, I convey my best wishes to the motherland Türkiye. Our hearts were broken. Our sadness is great," President Ersin Tatar said on Twitter.

Tatar also wished Allah's mercy upon those who lost their lives and speedy recovery to the injured.

In a phone call, Tatar and Prime Minister Unal Ustel conveyed their condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the earthquakes, Türkiye's Communication Directorate said in a statement.

Ustel had earlier told Anadolu that the TRNC would send eight specially equipped vehicles with a civil defense team of 30 people.

At least 1,541 people were killed and 9,733 others injured in 10 provinces when two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, Vice President Fuat Oktay said.

Early Monday morning, a strong 7.7 earthquake, centered in the Pazarcik district, jolted Kahramanmaras and strongly shook several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.

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