The head of humanitarian aid for the United Nations says what happened around the epicenter of Monday's earthquake in Turkey near the Syrian border was the "worst event in 100 years" in that region.

Martin Griffiths is the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. On Saturday he visited Kahramanmaras, the southern Turkish province that was devastated by the quake.

Griffiths was debriefed by rescue workers on the damage caused by the massive quake and local conditions.

The UN aid chief told reporters that he is launching a three-month aid campaign for both Turkey and Syria to help pay for the costs of recovery operations in quake-hit areas.