By Miriam Humbe, Abuja
The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday said that it was responding to the unfolding disater occasioned by the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
It was earlier reported that a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria early Monday morning local time.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria early Monday occurred near Gaziantep in southern Turkey.
The tremor of the powerful earthquake could be felt as far as Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.
Also, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5, struck just 9 hours later.
The death toll:
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Tuesday evening that no fewer than 5,434 people were killed and 22,168 injured.
Meanwhile, some 8,000 people had been rescued from the rubble.
In Syria, at least 812 people were killed, while 1,832 were injured in the affected areas, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.
The UN wrote on its official Twitter handle, @UN on Tuesday evening local time thus: “The UN is responding to the unfolding disaster in Türkiye and Syria.
“Monday’s devastating earthquakes come at the worst possible moment for vulnerable people living in the affected areas, many of whom were already dependent on humanitarian aid.”
The world body has the responsibility to maintain International peace and security, protect human rights, deliver humanitarian aid and support sustainable development and Climate Action.
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