Pope Francis said Monday he was “deeply saddened” by the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 1,500 people.
“Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the enormous loss of life caused by the earthquake,” Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin wrote in a statement issued by the Vatican.
Parolin took the opportunity to send “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims, on behalf of the Pope.
The quake occurred at 04:17 (01:17 in Lisbon), 33 kilometers from the provincial capital of Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey, at a depth of 17.9 kilometers.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake that occurred this Monday registered a magnitude of 7.8 and dozens of aftershocks were felt.
Official information reports the collapse of buildings in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Hama and in Diyarbakir, Turkey, in this case more than 300 kilometers from the epicenter.
More than 900 buildings were destroyed in Turkey’s Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras provinces, according to government sources.
Source: TSF
