US secretary of state says 'profoundly saddened' by earthquakes in Türkiye

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - The US secretary of state on Sunday said that he is “profoundly saddened” by the devastation of last week’s earthquakes in Türkiye.

"Profoundly saddened to see firsthand the devastation of the earthquakes in Türkiye. The United States remains committed to doing everything we can to help with rescue, relief, and recovery efforts," Antony Blinken, who visited the earthquake-hit region along with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Twitter.

As part of his two-day visit to Türkiye which was hit by twin earthquakes earlier this month, Blinken arrived at the Incirlik Air Base in Adana on Sunday where he was welcomed by the Turkish foreign minister.

Cavusoglu, for his part, said on Twitter: "Before our official meeting tomorrow, examined earthquake areas with Blinken, who is on solidarity visit to Türkiye."

On board a helicopter, the duo examined the earthquake-stricken region.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.