BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- China has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Türkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, on Tuesday.

China will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million U.S. dollars) to Türkiye, according to Deng. A rescue team will leave within hours and a medical team will be sent within the shortest time possible, he added.

He said China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

More than 4,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Türkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

The Chinese government will continue to provide aid to the two countries within its capacity and in light of the evolving situation and actual needs, Deng said.