Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is determined to do everything possible in the days, weeks and months ahead to help those affected by earthquakes that rattled Türkiye and Syria.
Initial reports said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, followed by another tremor measuring 7.6 that hit the same area just a few hours later, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
“The United States expresses our deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life in Türkiye and Syria from today’s earthquakes. Our initial assistance response to our ally Türkiye is underway, and we stand ready to provide aid directly to the Syrian people,” Blinken said in a Feb. 6 post on Twitter.
Blinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss assistance the U.S. can provide and said preliminary efforts were already underway following the recent earthquakes, according to a State Department news release.
Al Jazeera reported multiple countries have taken action to address the earthquake’s aftermath, from volunteering soldiers to emergency aid and relief to engineers.
Tens of thousands of people who were made homeless have sought shelter in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers, AP News reported.
