The football leagues of Italy, England, Spain, France and Germany will observe a minute's silence for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria before matches this weekend, leagues and federations said on Friday.

In a statement, Italy's FIGC said the silence would be observed across "every league with games scheduled for the weekend (including matches on Monday)".

"The world of football offers its support to the victims of the earthquake. We can't be indifferent in the face of such a tragedy," said FIGC president Gabriele Gravina.

The Premier League, La Liga in Spain, France's Ligue 1 and Germany's Bundesliga will also hold a minute's silence before matches.

A 7.8-magnitude quake hit Turkey and Syria early Monday, killing nearly 22,000 people in one of the region's worst disasters for a century.

The former Chelsea and Newcastle player Christian Atsu is still missing after the Ghanaian, who plays for Turkish club Hatayspor, was caught up in the quake. -AFP