As the death toll rose past 3,800 after a massive earthquake flattened thousands of buildings in Turkey and Syria, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered support and assistance.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of many lives as a result of the earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria,” the church’s Europe Central Area Presidency said in a statement released Monday. “ We express our love and support to the people of those countries as they deal with this terrible tragedy.”
The U.S. State Department officially began to refer to Turkey by its preferred name, Türkiye, in June. Pronunciation remains the same, Deutsche Welle reported.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit at 4:17 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey, the New York Times reported. Aftershocks continued to rock the region. Some news reports are calling the size of the earthquake one of the largest in the area in the past century.
The Latter-day Saint area presidency said it is offering relief aid.
“Our prayers, and the prayers of Latter-day Saints across Europe, are with them as they begin to recover from this disaster. The church is currently reaching out to other relief organizations, both globally and in-country, to offer assistance,” the presidency said.
The statement was signed by all three leaders in the area presidency, Elders Massimo De Feo, Erich W. Kopischke and Rubén V. Alliaud, members of the church’s General Authority Seventy.
News reports broadcast images of collapsing buildings and workers moving rubble in search of survivors.