Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on October 31 extended condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over a deadly earthquake that jolted the western Turkish province of Izmir Friday afternoon, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
Tajik leader, in particular, note in his message of condolences that he was so sad to hear about loss of lives in the devastating earthquake in the western regions of Turkey.
Emomali Rahmon expressed his sincere condolences to families and relative of those killed in the earthquake and wished speedy recovery to all those injured.
Media reports say that at least 27 people were killed in Turkey and Greece when a powerful earthquake hit the Aegean Sea on Friday afternoon, sending buildings crashing down and triggering what authorities have called a "mini tsunami."
Officials said 25 people were killed in coastal areas in Turkey's west, while two teenagers — a boy and a girl — died on the Greek island of Samos after a wall collapsed on them.
In Turkey, at least 20 buildings in the city of Izmir alone were destroyed, Mayor Tunc Soyer told CNN Turk. Images showed vehicles crushed under the buildings and people digging through the rubble in search of survivors.
At least 804 people have been injured in Turkey, CNN quoted Turkey’s disaster agency as saying. Dozens were reportedly saved by rescue teams using diggers and helicopters to search for survivors.
A total of 470 aftershocks have been recorded, 35 of which were over 4.0 magnitude, the agency added. Search and rescue operations remain under way in eight buildings, while operations have been completed in nine other buildings, the disaster agency said.
