UPDATE - US president expresses condolences over deadly earthquakes in Türkiye

ADDS WHITE HOUSE READOUT

By Diyar Guldogan and Rabia Iclal Turan

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden conveyed his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the wake of powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

In a phone call with Erdogan, Biden expressed his condolences for those who lost their lives in the quakes and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

According to a White House readout of the phone call, Biden reaffirmed the readiness of the US "to provide any and all needed assistance to our NATO Ally Türkiye in response to this tragedy."

"He noted that U.S. teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and coordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items," said the White House.

At least 2,379 people were killed and 14,483 others were injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye due to two strong earthquakes that jolted the southern part of the country Monday, said Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay.

Early Monday morning, a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province and strongly shook several other provinces, including Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis.

Later, at 13.24 p.m. (1024GMT), a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras’s Elbistan district struck the region.