King Charles tells Turkish president he and Camilla are ‘shocked and profoundly saddened’ by deadly earthquakes in the country
The King has shared his ‘thoughts and special prayers’ with those affected by the tragic earthquake disaster.
In a heartfelt message to the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the King said he was ‘profoundly saddened’ by the devastation caused.
‘My wife and I have been most shocked and profoundly saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in South East Türkiye,’ His Majesty said.
‘I can only begin to imagine the scale of suffering and loss as a result of these dreadful tragedies and I particularly wanted to convey our deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the families of all those who have lost their loved ones.’
His words comes after more than 7,800 were killed in the 7.8-magnitude quake and its aftermath, with 5,894 fatalities 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 Organisation (WHO) warns that the toll could soar to as much as 20,000 amid efforts to rescue those still trapped under the rubble.
More than 23 million could also be affected across the two countries, according to WHO assessments.
King Charles continued: ‘Our thoughts and special prayers are with everyone who has been affected by this appalling natural disaster, whether through injury or the destruction of their property, and also with the emergency services and those assisting in the rescue efforts.’
Earlier tonight, a team of 77 search and rescue specialists, state-of-the-art equipment and four dogs arrived in Turkey from the UK.
The plane arrived in the city of Gaziantep, south east Turkey, to assist current rescue efforts.
Teams from the US 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 slowed by sanctions and damage caused to the sole border crossing used to shuttle aid from Turkey into the country.
More than 7,800 have been killed in the 5.8-magnitude quake and its aftermath
A key issue complicating the dispersal of aid is ‘the war and the way the aid response is split between rebel areas and Damascus,’ said Aron Lund, a fellow with New York-based think tank Century International who researches Syria.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said: ‘It is imperative that everybody sees it as a humanitarian crisis where lives are at stake. Please don’t politicise this. Let’s get the aid out to the people who so desperately need it.’