The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has extended his heartfelt commiserations to the governments and people of Turkey and Syria, and those who lost family and friends in the devastating earthquake in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep.
A statement released by presidential aide, Femi Adesina, has the President wishing those injured a speedy recovery and assuring that the prayers and thoughts of Nigerians are with the many affected by this severe disaster and its aftershocks.
As a steadfast friend to Turkey and Syria, President Buhari says Nigeria is ready to offer its full support in any way possible.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday, that the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey had risen to 3,419.
In Syria, at least 1,602 people were killed and about 3,500 others were injured, according to the Ministry of Health and the White Helmets rescue organization.
Turkey was rocked by another earthquake of 5.6 magnitude, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
The earthquake hit central Turkey early on Tuesday morning and had a depth of 2kms (1.2 miles), the EMSC said. A number of aftershocks are expected to occur.
It comes as rescuers in Turkey and Syria dug with their bare hands through the freezing night on Tuesday, searching for survivors among the rubble of thousands of destroyed buildings.
Freezing winter weather conditions and snowfall in the devastated region have added to the plight of many thousands of people left injured and homeless by the earthquake.
Downed buildings and destroyed roads have hampered efforts to find survivors and get crucial aid into affected areas.
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said millions of people need help.
“And their need is even more acute because it is winter and they are facing cold temperatures, snow and rain.”
Ten cities in southern Turkey have been declared disaster areas, according to Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Istanbul.
Freezing temperatures and snow have hampered rescue efforts, and more bad weather is expected to hit the region.
Electricity supplies and natural gas have been cut off in many areas and the government is working to restore both services.
“A full picture of the devastation is only starting to emerge – devastation that will likely become more evident as the sun rises,” on Tuesday, Ghoneim said.
Seismic activity continued to rattle the region on Monday, including another jolt nearly as powerful as the initial earthquake.
More than 7,800 people have been rescued across 10 provinces, according to Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s disaster management authority. Strained medical facilities have quickly filled with injured people, rescue workers said.
The Syrian American Medical Society, which runs hospitals in northern Syria and southern Turkey, said in a statement that its facilities were “overwhelmed with patients filling the hallways” and called urgently for “trauma supplies and a comprehensive emergency response to save lives and treat the injured”.
Governments and aid agencies have rushed to deploy personnel, funds and equipment to Turkey and Syria.
