Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that they will be firm with looters and criminals who take advantage of the recent tragedy to carry out illicit acts.
Some 48 people have been arrested in Turkey after looting different premises following the tragic earthquake that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in that country and in neighboring Syria.
The looting took place in eight provinces of Turkey, and the accused will be detained for seven days, and not four as planned because Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decreed a state of emergency for a period of three months in ten areas of the country that have been victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
The president assured that they will be firm with looters and criminals who take advantage of the recent tragedy to carry out illicit deeds.
“We have announced a state of emergency. This means that from now on, people involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the firm hand of the state is on them,” Erdogan said during a visit to Diyarbakir province.
In addition, the state of emergency involves 5 billion euros in aid for the affected regions, which may be raised through monetary and property obligations imposed on citizens, as well as the limitation and temporary suspension of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Erdogan also highlighted the mobilization of some 160,000 troops, joined by teams from abroad.
“We have mobilized all the means of the state. We are not going to leave our citizens on the streets experiencing hardship and poverty. We are planning the reconstruction of thousands of houses and the rebuilding of our cities,” the president emphasized on Saturday.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, for his part, said that there are enough personnel working in the area, adding: “There are mobile pharmacies. Precautionary measures have been taken against epidemic diseases. Our army of health workers is here.
The latest official balance sheet states that there are 26,000 fatalities, of which 22,327 died in Turkey, with 80,278 injured, while 3,553 deaths and 5,276 injuries have been recorded in Syria.
The President of Turkey also said that this is the biggest disaster in Turkey, and explained that the earthquake was three times bigger and three times more destructive than the one in 1999. On that occasion, 18,000 people died in the Istanbul area.
Despite the efforts of the international community to rescue people under the rubble and assist survivors, brigades such as those from Germany and Austria were forced to suspend their work in the province of Hatay, which has been the most affected due to increased threats to its security due to clashes arising among the local population with the slow arrival of official aid, as well as clashes between armed groups.