ANGER is growing in Turkey over the government’s perceived failure to prepare after thousands died in two huge earthquakes on Monday.
On a visit to one of the worst-hit regions, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the official death toll in Turkey had climbed to 10,057.
The main opposition leader has blamed him for the scale of the devastation.
But Mr Erdogan hit back, saying it was “not possible” to be prepared for such a big disaster.
Many in the worst affected areas have have criticised the response by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) for being too slow. Others say the government was not sufficiently prepared in advance.
“If there is one person responsible for this, it is Erdogan,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party.
The president rejected this. He also described those who said they had not seen security forces at all in some areas as “provocateurs”.
“This is a time for unity, solidarity. In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,” he told reporters in Hatay.
During another stop on his tour of areas in the disaster zone earlier today, he acknowledged some initial problems, but said the situation was now “under control”.
In the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun on Tuesday, Arzu Dedeoglu said two of her nieces were trapped under the rubble. Her family had arranged a digger with their own resources to remove the debris, but she said officials did not allow them to use it.
“We waited till late in the evening, but nobody came,” Ms Dedeoglu said. “We brought in a caterpillar (digger) with our own means, but they did not want us to use it – they stopped us. We have two kids under the rubble: my sister’s daughters, Ayşegül and İlayda.
“They are gone now, they are gone.”
