Parliament observes minute of silence for Turkey and Syria earthquake victims

MPs in Catalonia's parliament expressed their solidarity with the victims of the catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria by observing a minute of silence on Wednesday morning.

The Board of Spokespersons put together a joint declaration that was backed by all parties except for far-right Vox and that affirms the chamber's "commitment" to assisting the affected territories.

Read by acting speaker Alba Vergés, the text stresses the lawmakers' willingness to mobilize human and material resources to save as many lives as possible as well as to help with reconstruction efforts.

It also acknowledges that some of the devastated areas, such as Syrian Kurdistan, were already in the midst of a "grave" humanitarian crisis due to years of instability and ongoing war, a situation that "has worsened as a result of the earthquake."

Latest estimates place the death toll at almost 10,000. Catalan authorities said earlier this week that there were no Catalans known to be among the dead nor were there any affected Catalan-funded development projects. 

K9 Creixell, a charity from southern Catalonia, sent an experienced team of search and rescue dogs to Turkey on Tuesday.