Croatian President Zoran Milanovic on Monday extended his condolences to Turkey and Syria following the disastrous earthquakes that hit the two countries, claiming the lives of a large number of people, the Office of the President said in a statement.

“I offer my heartfelt condolences to the people of Turkey and the people of Syria for the loss of lives in this horrible earthquake. Croatia is still sensitive to this issue… because not so long ago, we had what in our region is considered major earthquakes,” Milanovic said after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi at whose invitation he is paying an official visit to Egypt.

Around 4 a.m. on Monday a powerful earthquake hit the southern part of Turkey and northwestern Syria, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving several thousand injured. Many have remained trapped beneath the rubble.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the worst to hit Turkey in this century. After the first earthquake, another one, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck the country at 1:32 p.m. local time. Meanwhile, a set of weaker tremors have occurred.