Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili expresses his condolences to the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government and the Turkish people for the deaths caused by the devastating earthquake.

According to the PM, Georgia stands with the Turkish people and is ready to provide any necessary assistance.

"My deepest sympathies to the people and government of Türkiye over the loss of lives following the devastating earthquake in Kahramanmaras. I wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. We stand with the people of Türkiye and are ready to provide any assistance needed," the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

More background: A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria early on Monday morning, killing more than 500 people and injuring hundreds as buildings collapsed across the region, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble.

Turkey’s vice president Fuat Oktay said 284 people had been killed and 2,323 people were injured, as authorities scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft to the affected area, while declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.

In Syria, already devastated by more than 11 years of civil war, a government health official said more than 237 people had been killed and some 600 injured, most in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, where numerous buildings tumbled down.

Reuters reports president Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by telephone with the governors of eight affected provinces to gather information on the situation and rescue efforts, his office said in a statement.