Erdogan Acknowledges Some Problems with Türkiye’s Quake Response

People try to reach people trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in Malatya, Türkiye, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP)
People try to reach people trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in Malatya, Türkiye, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP)
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Erdogan Acknowledges Some Problems with Türkiye’s Quake Response

People try to reach people trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in Malatya, Türkiye, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP)
People try to reach people trapped under the debris of a collapsed building in Malatya, Türkiye, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP)

President Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged on Wednesday some problems with Türkiye’s initial response to the earthquake that rocked the south but said normal operations have resumed, adding that the death toll in the country rose to 8,574.

Erdogan made his first visit to the devastated region since the Monday, when two massive quakes hit within hours, just as confirmed deaths in Türkiye and neighboring Syria shot beyond 11,000.

Speaking to reporters in the Kahramanmaras province near the epicenter, with constant ambulance sirens in the background, Erdogan said there had been problems with roads and airports but that everything would get better by the day.

"On the first day we experienced some issues but then on the second day and today the situation is under control," he said.

The government aims to build housing within one year for those left without a home in the 10 provinces affected, he added.

The most destructive in decades, the initial tremor wrought havoc on hospitals, airports and roads, and knocked down more than 6,400 buildings in Türkiye. Many residents have since complained about insufficient resources and slow emergency response.

"We had some problems in airports and roads but we are better today. We will be better tomorrow and later. We still have some issues with fuel...but we will overcome those too," Erdogan said after visiting tents set up by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

He also said citizens should only heed communication from authorities and ignore "provocateurs".

Turkish authorities say some 13.5 million people were affected in an area spanning roughly 450 km (280 miles) from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east.



Multiple Quakes Leave Casualties in Guatemala, Cause Landslides

Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
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Multiple Quakes Leave Casualties in Guatemala, Cause Landslides

Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Debris lays on the street after dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks were recorded in a matter of hours in Palin, Guatemala, early Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A series of dozens of earthquakes were recorded in the span of hours in Guatemala, leaving two dead when rocks fell on their vehicle, authorities said. Landslides left several others buried.

More than 37 earthquakes and aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 3.0 to 5.6 were reported in Guatemala Tuesday afternoon, said Edwin Rodas, director of the National Institute for Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology.

The tremors resulted in the evacuation of buildings, landslides, and minor property damage, officials said, adding they were felt as far away as El Salvador.
The two men killed were traveling in a pickup truck on a local road in the department of Escuintla when the rocks fell from a hillside onto the vehicle, firefighters said, according to The Associated Press.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said at a press conference Tuesday that the main epicenter of the quakes was in the department of Sacatepéquez, with aftershocks in the regions of Escuintla and Guatemala department.

At least five people were buried by landslides, but emergency responders were able to rescue two, he added.

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction declared an orange alert, the second-highest on the emergency scale.

The US Geological Survey reported a 4.8 magnitude earthquake at 3:11 p.m. local time, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) southwest of the town of Amatitlán, south of Guatemala City, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). It then reported another 5.7 magnitude quake 3 kilometers (2 miles) northwest of San Vicente Pacaya, a municipality in Escuintla, in the south-central region of the country.

Another 4.8 magnitude quake was reported 6 kilometers (4 miles) northwest of Palín, also in Escuintla.