President offers condolences for Turkish Cypriot quake dead

President Nicos Anastasiades has conveyed his sincere condolences to Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar over the loss of lives in Turkey after the deadly earthquake.

He expressed sadness for the loss of Turkish Cypriot lives during the disastrous earthquakes in Turkey.

Anastasiades Thursday wished for a positive outcome to the ongoing operations of the rescue teams that are working to find Turkish Cypriots who are trapped under the rubble of the buildings that collapsed.

He underlined the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to offer any further required assistance to efforts made to save them.

A Turkish Cypriot couple were found in the wreckage of a hotel in Adiyaman, which brings the number of dead from the north in Turkey to 12.

Also found dead under the hotel rubble were two Turkish Cypriot teachers and one of the 24 high school children of occupied Famagusta.

Some 31 Turkish Cypriot students, teachers and parents were on a school trip in Turkey when the devastating earthquake struck on Monday.

A group of volleyball student-athletes were in Adıyaman to participate in a sports event when the hotel they were staying in collapsed.

Despite adverse conditions, the rescue teams continue their efforts to locate survivors.

They have opened pathways to where the remaining members of the Turkish Cypriot delegation are believed to be trapped.

In the first hours after the hotel collapsed, four students – a teacher and three parents – were rescued.

More than 19,000 people have been killed by the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria early Monday, and the numbers are expected to keep rising.

Turkish authorities have reported at least 16,170 deaths, and the Syrian toll exceeded 3,162.