The Syrian National Coalition extended its sincere condolences to the brotherly Turkish people for the casualties that were caused by earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey late on Friday. Dozens of people were killed and injured in the tremor.
Anadolu Agency reported that a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the province of Elazig in southeast of the country late on Friday. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that the quake killed 19 people, 15 of whom died in Elazig and four in the neighboring province of Malatya.
“We have approximately 30 residents under the wreckage in Elazig. The search and rescue operations are continuing and the death toll could rise,” Koca added.
Earlier, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said 782 others were injured; 433 in Elazig, 222 in Malatya, 37 in Kahramanmaras, 34 in Sanliurfa, 31 in Diyarbakir, 19 in Adiyaman, 6 in Batman.
The Coalition said that “the hearts of millions of Syrians in Syria, Turkey and everywhere in the world go with the Turkish people who have spared no effort to stand with the Syrian people throughout their plight, which has been going on for nearly nine years.”
“we are confident that Turkey will overcome this calamity thanks to the great efforts and rapid, organized response being made by the Turkish authorities so that Turkey remains a country of prosperity and stability as well as a source of hope for millions of the free people,” the Coalition added. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)