UPDATE - US President Biden orders 'any and all' assistance for quake-hit Türkiye

ADDS BLINKEN STATEMENT IN GRAFS 7-9, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Busra Nur Cakmak and Michael Hernandez

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden ordered his team on Monday to provide Türkiye "any and all needed assistance" and to closely monitor the situation in the country following strong earthquakes that claimed the lives of nearly 1,500 people.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria," Biden said on Twitter. "I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Türkiye and provide any and all needed assistance.".

At least 1,498 people were killed and 8,533 injured across 10 provinces after strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye on Monday, the country's disaster agency said.

Early Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude quake centered in the Pazarcik district jolted Kahramanmaras province and heavily affected several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.

It was followed by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT) that was also centered in Kahramanmaras, in the district of Elbistan.

Yunus Sezer, head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), said a total of 105 aftershocks occurred and 2,824 buildings collapsed since the initial tremor.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered the US's condolences in the wake of the tremblors that affected Türkiye and Syria, saying he has "directed my team to remain in close contact with our Turkish allies and our humanitarian partners in the coming days to determine what the region needs."

The top diplomat said Washington's "initial assistance response to Türkiye is already underway," and additional aid would flow to US-supported humanitarian organizations operating in Syria.

"We are determined to do all that we can to help those affected by these earthquakes in the days, weeks, and months ahead," he said.

At least 476 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Syria from the quakes, according to figures compiled by the Syrian regime's Health Ministry and Syrian Civil Defense.