The Turkish government will take action against those involved in robberies and other crimes in the region affected by the devastating earthquake . This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quoted by Reuters.
“We have declared a state of emergency. This means that from now on people who engage in robberies or kidnappings must know that they will feel the firm hand of the state ,” he warned during a visit to the disaster zone.
On Friday, the Turkish leader reported that there had been looting in some areas. However, it is not clear what kind of kidnapping cases are involved.
Safety in the quake zone came to the fore after the Austrian army suspended rescue operations there due to what its spokesman called an “increasingly difficult security situation”. Rescue groups from Germany took a similar step.
Erdogan also said that hundreds of thousands of buildings in southern Turkey were uninhabitable, and authorities would soon begin rebuilding them.
“We plan to restore hundreds of thousands of buildings. We will take concrete steps within a few weeks,” he assured.
According to him, the number of deaths in Turkey as a result of the disaster has risen to 21,043 people.
Source: news.bg
