Biden asks federal agencies to provide assistance to Turkey and Syria

President Biden has asked USAID and other federal government agencies to assess options for providing assistance to the hardest hit regions in Turkey and Syria.

This is stated in a statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, released on Sunday. Sullivan said the United States was deeply concerned by reports of a devastating earthquake.

“We are ready to provide all necessary assistance,” he said.

Recall that more than 1,400 people died and thousands were injured on Monday, when a strong earthquake hit the central region of Turkey and northwestern Syria.

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which struck early this morning, was the strongest earthquake in Turkey this century. It was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon. It was followed earlier in the day by another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said 912 people had been killed, 5,383 injured and 2,818 buildings collapsed in Turkey.

The death toll will rise as search and rescue efforts continue, Erdogan said, adding that 45 countries had offered help.

In Syria, where a civil war has been going on for 11 years, more than 326 people have died and 1,042 have been injured, according to the health ministry. In the north-west of the country, controlled by the Syrian opposition, according to the rescuers, 221 people died.

It was the strongest quake in Turkey since 1999, when an earthquake of similar magnitude devastated Izmit and the densely populated eastern Marmara region near Istanbul, killing more than 17,000 people.