Pope Francis "Deeply Saddened" by Turkey, Syria’s Quakes

Pope Francis expressed his "spiritual closeness" and "solidarity" with those affected by two powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday.

Catholic priest Imad Daher was among the dead in Syria.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, noted that Francis was "deeply saddened" to learn of the "huge loss of life" caused by the disaster and offered his "heartfelt condolences" to those mourning losses.

The pope also prayed that emergency personnel would "be sustained in their care of the injured and in the ongoing relief efforts by the divine gifts of fortitude and perseverance."

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and neighboring Syria, leaving more than 2,600 people dead.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan affirmed that Monday’s earthquake was the biggest disaster they had experienced in the last century.

During his speech, Erdoğan highlighted that search and rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected areas.

“We do not know how high the number of dead and injured will go. Our hope is to get through this disaster with the least loss,” he said.

“This is the biggest disaster we’ve experienced in the last century after the 1939 Erzincan earthquake,” he added, citing an incident in which more than 32,000 people were killed in eastern Turkey.