“I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased in this morning's earthquake in Turkey and Syria and wish a speedy recovery for the wounded,” Masoud Barzani said in a statement on Twitter.

Early on Monday, a powerful earthquake struck southern Turkey west of the city of Gaziantep at 04:17 AM TRT (01:17 UTC), causing widespread damage in Turkey and Syria.

With a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) and a magnitude of 7.8 Mww, it is tied with the 1939 Erzincan earthquake as the strongest earthquake to hit Turkey in recorded history.

The earthquake was followed by numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 6.7 Mw.

According to initial reports, more than 640 people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured. (ILKHA)