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Erdoğan Apologizes for Delay in Rescuing Earthquake Victims in Adiyaman. PHOTO/Reuters
ANKARA – President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday (27/2/2023), apologized for the delay in rescue while visiting one of the worst hit areas earthquake turned off earlier this month.
Erdogan, who is seeking another term as president after two decades in power, has received harsh criticism from earthquake victims in Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey.
Baca: Earthquake Shakes Turkey Again, 1 Person Killed and 69 Residents Injured
In the last election of 2018, Erdogan easily defeated his secular opposition rivals in the province.
“Due to the devastating effects of the earthquake and bad weather, we were not able to work as we wanted in Adiyaman for the first few days. I apologize for this,” Erdogan said, as quoted by AFP.
The February 6 quake killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey and thousands more in neighboring Syria. AFP reported local anger against the government from Adiyaman on 10 February.
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“I didn’t see anyone until 14:00 on the second day of the earthquake,” Adiyaman resident Mehmet Yildirim told AFP at the time.
“No government, no country, no police, no army. No shame! You left us alone, he continued.
Disaster struck just as Erdogan was gaining momentum and starting to lift his approval figure from the lowest levels suffered during the dire economic crisis that exploded last year.
Shortly after the quake, Erdogan acknowledged “shortcomings” in the government’s handling of the disaster.
(esn)
