Canada is “ready to offer assistance” to Turkey in the wake of a powerful earthquake that destroyed thousands of structures and killed thousands, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured Monday morning on Twitter.
Mr Trudeau added that the news and images coming out of Turkey and Syria are “terrible”. He offered his thoughts “to those affected by these powerful earthquakes”.
The death toll from the disaster reached at least 2,300, but relief operations were only just beginning to be organised.
“My thoughts are with the bereaved families following this tragic event,” Quebec Minister of International Relations Martine Biron said on Twitter.
The 7.8-magnitude quake hit Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province in the southeast of the country, along the border with Syria. The region has been affected for ten years by the civil war which is tearing this country apart.
Hours later, the United States Geological Authority measured a magnitude 7.5 quake about 100 miles away. A Turkish official said it was a new quake and not an aftershock.
Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
To see in video