SRINAGAR, Jammu & Kashmir

Special prayers were held across Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday for the people of Türkiye and Syria that were hit by two major earthquakes earlier this week, killing over 22,000 and injuring tens of thousands.

The prayers were held in major shrines and mosques in the region, including the historical central mosque, Jama Masjid Srinagar.

The prayers were led by imam Hai Moulana Ahmad Saeed Naqshbandi, who, on behalf of the people of Kashmir, expressed sympathy and solidarity with the people of Türkiye and Syria and prayed "for eternal peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to those injured."

At other mosques, local imams also expressed solidarity and prayed for the recovery of people who lost their family members and homes in the devastating earthquakes.

On social media as well, Kashmiri netizens expressed deep pain over the loss of lives in the aftermath of the earthquake.

At least 19,875 people in Türkiye were killed and 79,717 others injured after a strong earthquake hit the country's southern region on Monday morning, according to the latest official figures.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province, have impacted some 13 million people across 10 Turkish provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

In neighboring Syria, the death toll has climbed above 3,300, with more than 5,200 people wounded.