06 Feb 2023; MEMO: At least 500 people have been killed in Turkiye and Syria after an earthquake shook the countries. Thousands more were left injured.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of ten kilometres near the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the areas hit by the quake.
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"We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage," he wrote.
Arab countries extended condolences to Turkiye and Syria following the earthquake.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry conveyed its sincere condolences and solidarity with Turkiye and Syria. In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirmed its readiness to provide help if it is needed.
The head of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, expressed sympathy with Turkiye and Syria, saying: "I extend my condolences to the victims' families and loved ones, and wish a quick recovery to the wounded."
According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, the death toll from the devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Turkiye rose to 284, along with over 2,320 injured people.
At least 237 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in opposition held areas of Syria, the state-run SANA news agency reported.
Hundreds of buildings collapsed and millions of people in Turkiye, Syria, Lebanon and Israel felt the earth shake.
