Turkey earthquake: MoS Muraleedharan visits Turkish embassy, expresses condolences

New Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V Muraleedharan visited the embassy of Turkey and expressed condolences to Ambassador Firat Sunel over the casualties and damages caused by three earthquakes.
MoS Muraleedharan also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message of sympathy and humanitarian support.
"@MOS_MEA visited Embassy of Turkiye to express condolences on the devastation casued by today's earthquakes. Conveyed PM @narendramodi's message of sympathy & humanitarian support. Underscored readiness to send relief material, as well as NDRF and medical teams to assist Turkiye," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a tweet.
Today, Three earthquakes rocked Turkey and the country is still assessing the number of casualties and the damage.
Recently, the Ritcher Scale showed a magnitude of 6.0 for the third earthquake that hit Goksun, Turkey on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
At least 1,498 people were killed and 8,533 others injured after a strong earthquake jolted southern Turkiye on Monday morning, according to the country's disaster agency.
After the massive quake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the 7.8 magnitude quakes as the country's "biggest disaster" since 1939. He said that 912 people had been killed, with 5,383 wounded, according to Anadolu Agency.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (0117GMT) and was centred in the Pazarcik district in the southern province of Kahramanmaras. The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometres (4.3 miles).
AFAD said in a statement that 78 aftershocks occurred following the earthquake.
Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis provinces are heavily affected by the quake, as per Anadolu Agency.
"The number of people rescued from the rubbles has reached 2,470. The number of buildings that collapsed is 2,818," Erdogan said.
Vice President Fuat Oktay said at a news conference that Erdogan has been taking up the updates and reviewing the relief efforts since the moment of the earthquake.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said Monday its emergency teams are ready to be deployed to the quake-hit regions in Turkey and Syria.
"We are shocked by the devastating earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria at the height of a harsh winter," UNOCHA said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the world leaders to condole the loss of lives caused by the massive temblor in Turkey and Syria on Monday.
"Anguished by the loss of lives and damage of property due to the Earthquake in Turkey. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. India stands in solidarity with the people of Turkey and is ready to offer all possible assistance to cope with this tragedy," PM Modi tweeted. (ANI)