Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed on Wednesday the claims the government has not done enough to respond appropriately to the devastating that hit the country and neighboring Syria earlier this week, saying it is not possible to be prepared for a disaster of such a scale.
"This is a time for unity, solidarity. In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest," Erdogan told reporters while visiting the heavily-hit province of Hatay. He admitted that "our job was not easy" given the disaster and weather conditions and that "of course there are shortcomings" but insisted all the public services reacted quickly and performed their duties when the shaking began.
While talking to reporters, Erdogan confirmed the death toll in Turkey has risen to 9,057.
