NATO allies mobilize support after Türkiye earthquake: Stoltenberg
The NATO flag waves during the Canadian-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup Latvia fifth anniversary event at the Adazi Military Base in Latvia, June 15, 2022. (EPA Photo)


NATO allies are mobilizing support after a 7.7 magnitude quake hit Türkiye’s southern and southeastern regions, killing at least 284 people, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

"Full solidarity with our Ally #Türkiye in the aftermath of this terrible earthquake," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter, saying that he is in touch with both President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

"NATO Allies are mobilizing support now," he added.

The death toll has risen to 912, Erdoğan announced, adding that another 5,385 people were injured.

Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the 7.4 magnitude quake struck at 4:17 a.m. local time and was centered in the Pazarcık district in Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaraş. The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles). The magnitude was later revised to be 7.7.

Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis provinces were heavily affected by the quake