The Portuguese government expressed its full solidarity with the government and people of Turkey, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said, deploring the aftermath of the earthquake in Turkey, which also killed hundreds of people in Syria.
“We are shocked by the news from Turkey this morning of a terrible earthquake. The Government of Portugal expresses its full solidarity with the people and government of Turkey,” the Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck on Monday near the border between Turkey and Syria.
The latest preliminary balance of quake casualties has risen to 641, and authorities warn the number could be even more serious due to the extent of the destruction.
The earthquake struck at 4:17 (1:17 in Lisbon) 33 km from the provincial capital of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey at a depth of 17.9 km.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a few minutes after the first earthquake at a depth of 9.9 kilometers, another earthquake of magnitude 6.7 on the Richter scale was recorded.
The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus, according to France-Presse correspondents.