Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday conveyed his condolences to his Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the wake of powerful deadly earthquakes that southern Türkiye, according to Anadolu Agency.
In a phone call with Erdogan, Putin expressed sympathy on death of hundreds of people and wished recovery for the injured, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.
“During the phone call, Russian President Putin also provided information on Russia’s support to Türkiye in search and rescue and disaster relief,” it added.
At least 1,498 people were killed and 8,533 others injured in 10 provinces after two strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye.
Early Monday morning, a strong 7.7 earthquake, centered in the Pazarcik district, jolted Kahramanmaras and heavily affected several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis.
A new 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Kahramanmaras at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT) again, which was centered in the Elbistan district this time.