King, Queen express condolences over Turkiye quake

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah have expressed their condolences to the governments and people of Turkiye and Syria following the massive earthquake which hit the two countries today.

Their Majesties also expressed their sympathies to the families of the people who were killed in the earthquake which had also caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure.

"Their Majesties are saddened over the loss of lives in the tragedy and hoped that families of the victims will remain patient and calm in this trying moments.

"May Allah SWT bless the Muslims who died and place their souls among the righteous," read a post on the Istana Negara Facebook page today.

According to Istana Negara, in this hour of grief, Their Majesties and Malaysia stand in solidarity with the people of Turkiye and Syria and pray that the victims who are still trapped under the rubble will be rescued immediately and those injured will be granted a speedy recovery.

Following the disaster, Al-Sultan Abdullah called on all mosques and surau nationwide to hold special prayers including doa selamat and the absentee funeral prayer for those who died in the quake.

A strong earthquake was reported to have jolted the southern region of Turkiye's Kahramanmaras province early Monday and the Turkiye Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced that the 7.4 magnitude quake which struck at 4.17 am local time was centred in the Pazarcik district.

According to media reports, the disaster has claimed 912 lives in Turkiye, while 476 more fatalities were reported in Syria.

The Foreign Ministry said no Malaysians were reported to be affected by the earthquake so far

-- BERNAMA