Turkish FM extends sympathies after Italian quake

ANKARA (AA) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has extended his sympathies for Sunday’s magnitude-6.5 earthquake that struck central Italy.

In a Twitter message to his counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, he wrote, “We wish a quick recovery to the wounded. Turkey stands by the Italian people”.

“Our sympathies and prayers are once again with the people of Italy as Perugians overcome the shock and effects of the latest earthquake,” he added.

Meanwhile, Marche Regional President Luca Cerisicoli said that up to 100,000 people are feared to be homeless and in need of shelter in the quake’s aftermath, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles) in Norcia – a town in Perugia, central Italy – at 7.40 a.m. local time (0440GMT). It was followed by several aftershocks.

According to sources from Italian Civil Protection, there were about 10 injured people, including one in serious condition.

The tremors were strongly felt in Rome and Florence, and several buildings were damaged by the quake.

This August, central Italy was struck by an earthquake that took nearly 300 lives.

The United States Geological Survey, or USGS, established the magnitude of Sunday’s quake at 6.6.

Turkey and Italy both include active geological zones, and the devastating 1999 Marmara earthquake in Turkey took some 17,000 lives.