Erdogan Vows to Rebuild Turkey's Earthquake-Hit Areas Within a Year

Описание: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that more than 8,500 people died in his country as a result of Monday's devastating earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

The president, who was visiting the city of Kahramanmaras, said that 49,133 people were injured and 6,444 buildings brought down by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The Syrian Health Ministry, meanwhile, said the death toll in government-held areas has climbed past 1,200, while at least 1,400 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets.

That brought the overall total to 11,000 since Monday’s earthquake and multiple strong aftershocks. Tens of thousands more are injured.

Amid calls for the Turkish government to send more help to the disaster zone, Erdogan toured a “tent city” in hard-hit Kahramanmaras where people forced from their homes are living.

He conceded that there had been shortfalls in the response during the first day but said the situation has improved since then.

“We won’t allow any of our citizens to be left in the streets,” he said. "God willing, our aim is to rebuild houses in one year, as we already did previously in areas hit by earthquakes, both Kahramanmaras and other provinces."

The Turkish government has come under criticism from survivors in for not getting adequate rescue teams to the province fast enough.

The quake comes at a sensitive time for Erdogan, who faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May amid an economic downturn and high inflation. Perceptions that his government mismanaged the crisis could severely hurt his standings.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, blamed the devastation on Erdogan’s two-decade rule, saying he had not prepared the country for a disaster and accusing him of misspending funds.

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