Turkey-Syria earthquake: Turkish President Erdogan admits 'some problems', but defends govt response

With more than 15,000 people dead so far in Turkey and Syria after a devastating earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended his administration's response to the catastrophe.

Erdogan acknowledged some shortcomings, but cited winter weather as a hurdle. He added that it is not possible to prepare for a disaster of such a scale.

Erdogan has come under attack from the leader of Turkey's main Opposition party, who has slammed the President's 20-year rule for not preparing for such disasters, and misspending funds.

In response, the President said that "dishonourable people" were spreading "lies and slander". Erdogan added that he "cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest."

Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel in Syria and Turkey. But the scale of destruction from the earthquake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense and spread over such a wide area — including a region isolated by Syria's ongoing civil war — that many people were still awaiting help.

(With agency inputs)

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