Pakistan to send relief teams to quake-hit Turkiye: PM Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD/ANKARA: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has telephoned Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the powerful earthquake, ARY News reported on Monday.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that relief teams of Pakistan will reach the quake-hit Turkiye soon. He expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the earthquake and conveyed his deepest condolence to the families of the victims.

The premier said that Pakistan is standing side-by-side with Turkiye and its nationals in a difficult time and Islamabad will provide maximum assistance to cope with the quake disasters.

PM Sharif said that climate change-induced disasters are not limited to a single country or region and the intensity of disasters is gradually increasing.

READ: EARTHQUAKE STRIKES TURKIYE, SYRIA; MORE THAN 1400 DEAD, MANY TRAPPED

President Erdoğan thanked PM Sharif for holding a telephonic conversation and supporting the Turkiye people. He said that he appreciates the sentiments of the premier and the people of Pakistan.

Moreover, PM Sharif also expressed sorrow over the earthquake disasters in Syria and conveyed condolences to the Syrian government and the families of the quake victims.

He prayed for the departed souls in the powerful quake and early recovery of the wounded Syrians.

In his Twitter message, PM Shehbaz Sharif wrote, “We send our heartfelt condolences & most sincere sympathies to the government and the people of Syria who have suffered major human and material losses from the devastating earthquake early this morning.”

We send our heartfelt condolences & most sincere sympathies to the government and the people of Syria who have suffered major human and material losses from the devastating earthquake early this morning. 🇵🇰 🇸🇾

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) February 6, 2023

Turkiye, Syria quake disasters

More than 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured on Monday when a huge earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria, pulversing apartment blocks and heaping more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by years of war.

READ: PAKISTAN CONDOLES OVER LOSS OF LIVES DUE TO EARTHQUAKE IN TÜRKIYE

The magnitude 7.8 quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, worst to strike Turkey this century. It was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. It was followed in the early afternoon by another large quake, magnitude 7.7.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) near the southern Turkiye’s city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.

The tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350 km (218 miles)to the east.

A Syrian health official said more than 230 people had been killed and some 600 injured there, most in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, where numerous buildings tumbled down.