UN monitoring situation after Türkiye quakes: office

The United Nations (UN) and partners are monitoring the situation on the ground after a strong earthquake hitting Türkiye and north-west Syria on Monday, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT), the most powerful in the country's history since 1939.

It was followed by a magnitude-6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude-7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in the Kahramanmaras Province.

The Government of Türkiye has issued a Level 4 alarm, calling for international assistance.

"The earthquake also heavily impacted north-west Syria, a region where 4.1 million people, the majority being women and children, depend on humanitarian assistance today," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"At this time, Syrian communities are simultaneously hit with an on-going cholera outbreak and harsh winter events including heavy rain and snow over the weekend," it said.

OCHA said that the level of damage to infrastructure is difficult to assess at this time, with roads blocked in both Türkiye and north-west Syria.

The UN's Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, said Monday afternoon he was "deeply saddened" by the tragic loss of life and massive destruction from the earthquake.

"I send my deepest condolences to those affected, many who have already suffered enormously and for many years," he said.