Earthquake in Turkey: criticism of Erdogan - reports of violence

Criticism of the Erdogan government after the earthquake in Turkey continues.

An opposition politician becomes a folk hero.

The news ticker.

• Doubts about the number of victims:

  the opposition criticizes the forecasts of Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government

• Debate about date:

  Turkey election could be due to earthquake

• Other arrests:

  Some contractors have been arrested in Turkey

+++ 2.30 p.m .:

In an interview with Fr.de from IPPEN.Media, the lawyer and women’s rights activist Asli Pasinli talks about the situation in Turkey after the earthquake.

"The desperation goes so far that people even abandon their own children," says Pasinli.

More and more outbreaks of violence are said to occur, especially in the tent cities.

+++ 1:40 p.m .:

Unlike the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an opposition politician apparently did it.

Erzin City Mayor Becomes Turkey's People's Hero Amid Earthquake

Ökkeş Elmasoğlu is a member of the CHP and had not issued building permits for unsafe buildings in his city.

The result: significantly fewer buildings collapsed in Erzin than in the rest of the affected areas.

+

Clean-up work is underway in Turkey after the devastating earthquake.

© Abed Alrahman Alkahlout/dpa

Earthquake in Turkey: the number of deaths is rising, criticism is getting louder

+++ 11.30 a.m .:

The number of deaths after the earthquake in Turkey continues to climb.

According to CNN, more than 41,000 people have already died in the disaster.

Update from February 15, 10:08 a.m .:

After the earthquake in Turkey, criticism of Erdogan’s government became louder and louder.

The main concern is the numerous structural defects in buildings in the crisis region.

A video circulating on Twitter shows local buildings with walls no more than a handbreadth thick and large gaps between bricks.

Construction in #Turkey by #Erdogan.#Türkiye #Erdoğan #TurkeyQuake #AkParti pic.twitter.com/MmFfrzP7SJ

— Arthur Maghakian (@ArMaghak) February 10, 2023

+++ 19:43:

Just over a week after the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border area, the number of dead has risen to more than 40,000.

In Turkey alone, the number is 35,418, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, according to the state news agency

.

Thousands more victims are feared. 

WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge described the quake as the worst natural disaster in the region in a century.

Around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria need humanitarian assistance, he said at an online press conference.

The need for help is huge and growing by the hour.

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

Earthquake in Turkey: UN wants to give people "sense of future".

+++ 4.30 p.m .:

The Turkish civil protection authority AFAD has announced the current figures for the earthquake.

There have been 3,170 aftershocks since the February 6 disaster.

In addition, the number of people killed in the earthquake has risen to 31,974 today.

However, the opposition has doubts about the number of victims.

In a conversation with Fr.de, MP Servet Ünsal (CHP) said that up to 280,000 people could have died in the devastating earthquake.

Update from February 14, 10 a.m.:

The Turkey election on May 14.

could be postponed by a year because of the earthquake.

Bülent Arinc, co-founder of the AKP, recently raised a corresponding demand on Twitter.

"There can't be elections in May or June, there shouldn't be," writes the AKP leader.

The opposition rejects this.

"Since there is no war, the elections cannot be postponed," said opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (CHP).

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: UN ends rescue and recovery operations

+++ 8.45 p.m .:

The rescue and recovery operations in Turkey and Syria are gradually coming to an end a week after the devastating earthquakes in the crisis areas.

That said the UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths of the

.

If the work was recently concentrated on searching for the living in the rubble, the humanitarian phase is now beginning, in which those affected would be cared for.

Devastating earthquakes in Turkey: the opposition has doubts about the official figures from the authorities

+++ 6.15 p.m .:

Doubts are increasing about the extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

The opposition, in particular, believes less and less the statements made by President Erdogan's government.

According to official figures, the number of people killed in the earthquake in Turkey was 31,648.

The CHP MP Servet Ünsal (CHP) says in an interview with the

of

that the number of dead is at least 280,000.

+++ 4.30 p.m .:

According to

a report by

Fr.de had reported exclusively on the misappropriation of the earthquake tax and found out that around 37 billion US dollars were collected in this way, which were then not spent on earthquake safety, but for other purposes. 

+++ 4 p.m.:

 Hundreds of thousands of defective buildings have been approved retrospectively in recent years as a result of the so-called “construction peace”.

The opposition and experts criticize that many people died unnecessarily as a result of the earthquake and call for consequences not only for builders and supervisory authorities, but also for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the 2019 election campaign, he himself said that the building peace had solved the problems of hundreds of thousands of people.

Earthquake in Turkey: Erdogan continues to take action against posts on social media

Update from February 13, 12:40 p.m .:

The number of dead in the massive earthquake in Turkey has risen to 31,643.

Thousands of people are believed to be still under the rubble.

The rescue work continues.

Even after around 180 hours, individuals are still being rescued alive.

The hope of finding more survivors sinks.

Earthquake in Turkey: Ankara justifies airstrikes on Kurdish areas in Syria

First report from February 13:

Kahramanmaras – After the severe earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bombed Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria.

This has now been confirmed by the Turkish ambassador Ahmet Basar Sen in an interview with the

.

It is a response to the attacks on Turkey carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"The Syrian offshoot of the terrorist organization PKK, namely the PYD/YPG, carried out a vile attack with rocket launchers from Tel Rifaat on the area of ​​responsibility of our Öncüpınar border post," said Sen. Our response to this was aimed at ensuring the security of the border region .” The PKK and its offshoots are trying to mislead the public with disinformation, the ambassador claims and defends the actions of the Turkish government.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities continues to rise a week after the devastating tremors: 35,000 people have died according to the current status.

Only a few survivors are saved.

According to the United Nations, the death toll could rise to around 50,000.

that

the death toll could “double or more.”

However, estimates are difficult.

(tt)

List of rubrics: © Abed Alrahman Alkahlout/dpa