Canada ‘stands ready’ to help after deadly earthquake rocks Turkey, Syria: Trudeau

By The Canadian Press on February 6, 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada “stands ready” to provide help after a powerful earthquake toppled buildings and killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria.

In a statement, Trudeau called the reports and images from Turkey and Syria “devastating” and extended his thoughts to those affected.

More than 2,300 people have been killed and the death toll is expected to climb as rescue workers and residents search for survivors to Monday’s earthquake.

The 7.8 magnitude quake, which was centred on Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, hit a region shaped on both sides of the border by more than a decade of civil war in Syria.

Hours later, the U.S. Geological Survey measured another 7.5 magnitude quake more than 100 kilometres away; an official from Turkey’s disaster management agency said it was a new earthquake, not an aftershock.

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

– with files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

9
-8