UPDATE - Saudi Arabia reiterates solidarity with quake-hit Türkiye

ADDS REMARKS BY SAUDI OFFICIAL; REVISES DEATH TOLL, INJURIES; REVISES DECK

By Ibrahim al-Khazen and Mahmut Geldi

ISTANBUL (AA) – Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday reiterated the kingdom’s solidarity with Türkiye after the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country last week.

The monarch briefed the Cabinet on a recent phone call between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he offered condolences to the Turkish leader over the quake victims, state news agency SPA reported.

The Cabinet also reviewed Saudi efforts to mitigate the impact of the earthquake disaster on the Turkish and Syrian peoples as well as Saudi rescue and relief efforts, SPA said.

Saudi Arabia has so far dispatched seven planeloads of relief materials to Türkiye, along with 95 rescue workers, 55 medical personnel, and two delegations representing the Saudi Red Crescent and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

Later on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia announced that it will send 3,000 container homes to regions in Türkiye and Syria affected by the quakes.

"Initially, we will build 3,000 temporary houses (containers) in earthquake zones in both countries," Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, head of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, told state television Al Ekhbariya.

"This will be followed by other stages," he added.

He said that they are currently delivering temporary tents as well to the disaster area.

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center launched a donation drive on Feb. 8 for the earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.

Some 355.2 million riyals (nearly $94 million) have been collected for the quake victims as part of the drive, according to the Saudi government's Sahem Platform, which is responsible for the drive for quake victim relief in the two countries.

At least 35,418 people were killed and 105,505 others injured in two powerful earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces in Türkiye, and also affected several countries in the region.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar and Zehra Nur Duz.