US president expresses condolences over deadly earthquakes in Türkiye

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden conveyed his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the wake of powerful earthquakes in the country's southern region.

In a phone call with Erdogan, Biden expressed his condolences for those who lost their lives in the quakes and wished recovery to the injured, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

At least 2,316 people were killed and 13,293 others injured in 10 provinces due to two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Monday.

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

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