Saudi embassy in Turkey working with authorities to confirm deaths after quake

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Turkey said it was working with the Turkish authorities to confirm whether any Saudi citizens have died in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the nation early on Monday.

The quake – which was felt in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, and several other neighboring countries – has killed hundreds of people in southeast Turkey and northern Syria. A total of at least 640 people have died in both Syria and Turkey, according to authorities.

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The death toll is expected to keep rising as rescue teams continue to dig under the rubble of collapsed buildings across several Turkish and Syrian provinces.

The Saudi embassy in Ankara said it has not received any reports of Saudi deaths as of yet, but would continue to follow up with Turkish authorities for updates.

“The embassy in Ankara reports that it has not received any reports so far on the presence of Saudi citizens in the area, and we are following up with the Turkish authorities to confirm no citizens were in the affected areas,” the embassy said in a statement shared on Twitter.

Footage shared online showed residents and rescue workers digging through rubble in hopes of finding survivors.

Read more:

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