World leaders continue to show solidarity with Türkiye following deadly quakes

Messages of support continued to pour in Tuesday from world leaders after a devasting series of earthquakes Monday struck Türkiye.

Crown Prince of Kuwait Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed sympathy for those who were killed and wished recovery to the injured, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

Separately, Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo also conveyed condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele are other leaders who expressed condolences.

Erdogan had a telephone call Tuesday with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi.

The tremors have caused widespread damage and killed at least 4,544 people in the south and southeast.

"We talked to 18 heads of state and government who called us. I would like to thank all our friends, all heads of state and government, who called us, sent messages and made statements in order to convey their support and help offer in this difficult day of our country," said Turkish President Erdogan.

He added that the support of the international community is "valuable" to Türkiye.

Erdogan later spoke to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, bringing the number of phone calls to 19.

Sisi conveyed condolences to Erdogan, according to a statement by Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also promised Türkiye more aid after the devastating earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border region that left thousands dead.
During a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Scholz promised "further comprehensive support to cope with this disaster," said government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin on Tuesday.
Germany already deployed 50 earthquake experts specialized in locating and rescuing people buried under rubble from the EU-funded aid organization Agency for Technical Relief (THW). They took off from Cologne airport in western Germany on Tuesday.
Scholz also conveyed "his deepest condolences on the deaths of many people," to Erdoğan, who expressed his appreciation for the international support.

A 7.7-magnitude tremor struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province early Monday. Nine hours later, a 7.6-magnitude quake, centered in Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district, rocked the region, affecting several provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

The earthquake was also felt in countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.