Atlanta, USA (CNN) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged some shortcomings in the response to the earthquake and said that "it is not possible to prepare for such a disaster" during his visit to an area near the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred on Monday.
Erdogan said: "Of course, there are shortcomings, the circumstances are clear, it is not possible to be prepared to deal with a disaster like this, we will not leave any of our citizens without care," he said.You may also be interested in: Erdogan declares a state of emergency for a period of 3 months in 10 states affected by the earthquakeThe Turkish president stressed the importance of unity by saying: "This is a stage of unity and solidarity, and at a stage like this, I cannot tolerate fierce negative campaigns with political goals."Erdogan added, "Some liars are running campaigns and spreading false information that they have not seen soldiers, gendarmerie or police forces in Hatay."And the Turkish president continued, saying: "Without a doubt, our job is not easy," and added: "So far, there are 21,200 people, including soldiers, gendarmerie and police, working in Hatay."Erdogan pointed out that the difficult weather conditions add to the size and spread of the devastation caused by the earthquake, "which was felt by the population in an area of 500 km, in which approximately 13.5 million people live.", he said.