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

By Busra Nur Cakmak

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 hit by strong earthquakes.

"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," he added.

At least 1,121 people were killed and 7,634 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.