ISTANBUL

Uzbekistan has announced plans to send 60 rescue workers to Türkiye to assist in efforts to save survivors of powerful earthquakes that jolted the country's southern regions early on Monday.

"Based on the order of the head of our state, 60 rescuers of the FVV (Emergency Situations Ministry) ... are being sent to the fraternal country of Türkiye in order to provide humanitarian aid and eliminate the consequences of the earthquake," said a Monday statement by the Uzbek Emergency Situations Ministry.

Three special emergency rescue vehicles were also being dispatched to assist Türkiye, the ministry further noted.

A later statement by the FVV said the humanitarian aid and search and rescue teams would arrive at the earthquake zone on Tuesday, sharing images on Telegram of the Uzbek disaster personnel's preparations.

The announcement of humanitarian aid to Türkiye, in addition to the group of rescuers, had been made earlier by Sherzod Asadov, the press secretary of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on Telegram.

Following the earthquakes, Mirziyoyev extended his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish people in a phone call and through an earlier statement released by his office.

At least 3,381 people were killed and 20,426 others injured in 10 provinces of Türkiye after two strong earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country, an official from Türkiye's disaster agency AFAD said Tuesday.

Early Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras province, then about nine hours later, a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaras’ Elbistan district rocked the region, affecting several other provinces.​​​​​​​

The earthquakes were also felt in several countries in the region, including Lebanon and Syria.