Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday sent messages of condolence to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, respectively, over the devastating earthquakes that have left more than 4,300 people dead so far.
President Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and offered sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured on behalf of the Chinese government and people.
He expressed the belief that under the leadership of President Erdogan and President Bashar, the two governments and their people will surely overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.
Death toll crosses 4,300
Reuters reported that rescue teams worked early on Tuesday to release people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Turkey as the death toll in the country from a devastating earthquake a day earlier rose to nearly 3,000.
The magnitude 7.8 quake rippled through both countries early Monday, toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands more injured or homeless.
Nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed in the tremors a day earlier, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in its latest statement.
AFAD head Yunus Sezer said that 2,921 people had died in Turkey as aftershocks continued to shake the region. Another earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck central Turkey on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
At least 1,444 people were killed in Syria and about 3,500 injured, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the northwestern region controlled by insurgents.
With additional input from Reuters.
