US President Joe Biden on Monday said his administration has been working closely with Turkey, authorising an immediate Washington response to the devastating earthquake there.
The earthquake killed more than 2,200 people and injured thousands more in Turkey and northwest Syria, flattening apartment blocks and heaping more destruction on Syrian cities already devastated by years of war, reports Reuters.
"Our teams are deploying quickly to begin to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and address the needs of those injured and displaced by the earthquake," Biden said in a statement released by the White House.