UN Chief "deeply saddened" over loss of lives caused by earthquake in Turkey, Syria

New York [US], February 7 (ANI): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said that he was "deeply saddened" to hear about the extensive loss of life caused by the earthquake which impacted southern Turkey and northern Syria.
"I was deeply saddened to hear of the extensive loss of life caused by the earthquake which affected southern Turkiye and northern Syria earlier today," Antonio Guterres said in a statement.
Guterres said that more than 1500 people have been reportedly killed and many others have been injured and the toll continues to rise as rescue efforts continue. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
"My heart goes out to the people of Turkiye and Syria in this hour of tragedy. I send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Guterres said.
Antonio Guterres said that United Nations is fully committed to supporting the response after the earthquake. He said that UN teams on the ground were assessing the needs and providing assistance. He stressed that the UN counts on the international community to help the thousands of families affected by this disaster, many of whom are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
At least 1,541 people were killed and 9733 others were injured when two earthquakes hit southern provinces of Turkey on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported citing Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.7, centered in the Pazarcik district, jolted Kahramanmaras and hit several provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis, as per the Anadolu Agency report.
Later, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 centered in Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district jolted the region. Fuat Oktay said that earthquakes had a total of 145 aftershocks and 3,741 buildings collapsed, as per the news report. The earthquake was also felt in several neighboring countries, including Lebanon and Syria.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said that nearly 9700 search and rescue personnel have been working in the region, as per the Anadolu Agency report. According to AFAD, there is no tsunami threat to the Eastern Mediterranean coasts in Turkey.
The death toll in Syria due to the earthquake has reached 237 deaths and 639 injured, mostly in Lattakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Tartous, SANA reported. As per the news report, Syria has called on United Nations member states and other international organizations to help support the efforts made by the Syrian government to face the effects of the earthquake that jolted the nation. (ANI)