President of Turkey visited earthquake-hit areas
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the government will take action against people involved in looting and other crimes in regions hit by Monday's devastating earthquakes in the south of the country, amid growing concerns about security in those areas, reports Agerpres.
*"We have declared a state of emergency. This means that from now on, people who are involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the firm hand of the state is behind them," *Erdogan told reporters during a visit to the stricken area.
Twelve people in the construction sector have meanwhile been arrested in Turkey. Those placed in detention are a contractor from Gaziantep province and 11 people from Sanliurfa province, reported Turkish news agency DHA.
The brutal collapse of some buildings, which showed non-compliant quality in their construction, is sparking anger in the country. More arrests are expected, the source added. The Turkish justice ministry has ordered prosecutors in ten provinces to open "investigation offices on earthquake-related crimes".
Elsewhere, security in the area where the earthquakes occurred came to the fore after the Austrian army suspended its rescue operations there due to what a spokesman called "an increasingly difficult security situation".
Soon after, Germany also announced it was suspending its rescue operations in the Turkish province of Hatay, also for security reasons.
Erdogan added that hundreds of thousands of buildings had become uninhabitable in southern Turkey and that the authorities would soon start the reconstruction process.
