Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday expressed condolences and support for Morocco after a devastating earthquake struck near tourist hotspot Marrakesh, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake that hit late Friday killed at least 1,037 people and injured more than 1,000 others, with 721 in critical condition, according to Moroccan authorities.
“I wish a speedy recovery to all Moroccan people affected by the earthquake,” President Erdoğan wrote in Turkish on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Dost ve kardeş Fas’ta meydana gelen deprem felaketinden etkilenen tüm Fas halkına geçmiş olsun dileklerimi iletiyorum. Hayatını kaybedenlere Allah’tan rahmet, yaralılara acil şifalar diliyorum. Bu zor gününde tüm imkânlarımızla Faslı kardeşlerimizin yanındayız. 🇹🇷🇲🇦
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) September 9, 2023
“We stand by our Moroccan brothers … on this difficult day,” Erdoğan added.
The earthquake that hit Morocco yesterday is said to be strongest tremor the country experienced in the last century.
The last major earthquake that hit Morocco was in 2004, killing more than 600 people.