King Charles tells Turkish president he and Camilla are ‘saddened’ by earthquakes in the country
>
King Charles tells the Turkish president that he and Camilla are “shocked and deeply saddened” by the deadly earthquakes in the country.
The King has shared his ‘special thoughts and prayers’ with those affected by the tragic earthquake disaster.
In a sense message to the Turks President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the King said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the devastation caused.
“My wife and I are very shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in the south-east of Türkiye,” Her Majesty said.
“I can only begin to imagine the magnitude of the suffering and loss as a result of these terrible tragedies, and in particular I wanted to convey our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who have lost loved ones.”
His words come after more than 7,800 people were killed in the magnitude 5.8 quake and its aftermath, with 5,894 deaths in Turkey and at least 1,932 in Syria.
The King shares his ‘special prayers’ with those affected by the devastating earthquake
But the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the death toll could rise to 20,000 amid efforts to rescue those still trapped under the rubble.
More than 23 million could also be affected in the two countries, according to WHO assessments.
King Charles continued: “Our special thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by this terrible natural disaster, whether through injury or the destruction of their property, and also to the emergency services and those helping in the rescue efforts.”
Tonight a team of 77 search and rescue specialists, state of the art equipment and four dogs arrived in Turkey from the UK.
The aircraft arrived in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep to assist in ongoing rescue efforts.
US teams will also arrive tomorrow in the southeastern province of Adiyaman to focus on urban search and rescue following the tragedy.
But aid to quake-hit Syria has been held back by sanctions and damage to the only border crossing used to transport aid from Turkey into the country.
More than 7,800 have died in the magnitude 5.8 quake and its aftermath.
A key issue complicating aid distribution is “the war and the way the aid response is divided between rebel areas and Damascus,” said Aron Lund, a fellow at the New York-based think tank Century International. investigating Syria.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said: “It is imperative that everyone see this as a humanitarian crisis where lives are at stake.” Please don’t politicize this. Let’s get help to the people who need it so desperately.’