Government response to earthquake has shortcomings, concedes Turkish president
Death count in Turkey-Syria crosses 15,000 as debris, weather hampers rescue work
Antakya: Turkish President Recep Tarrip Erdogan admitted on Wednesday to the government response to the disaster that has killed more than 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria having ‘shortcomings’.
Facing intense and growing criticism online to the way the Turkish government handled the situation after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the region, Erdogan visited Kahramanmaras, which was not only one of the worst-hit spots but also the epicenter of the quake, reports NDTV.
The president acknowledged problems in the government response to the mishap. "Of course, there are shortcomings. The conditions are clear to see. It's not possible to be ready for a disaster like this," he said.
Rescuers have struggled to carry out the work amid not just the thousands of buildings that collapsed but also the freezing weather. The survivors, meanwhile, have been struggling to get food and shelter. They have also had to helplessly watch their relatives breathe their last after calling out for help from beneath the debris.
Expressing her pain, Semire Coban, a kindergarten teacher, in Turkey's Hatay, has said, "My nephew, my sister-in-law and her sister are in the ruins. There is no sign of life… We are trying to talk to them, but they are not responding... We are waiting for help. It has been 48 hours now.”
Officials and medical officers said that a total of 15,383 people had died – 12,391 in Turkey and at least 2,992 in Syria. Experts fear that the numbers will only rise sharply.
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Maharashtra ANTF busts mephedrone racket, destroys 3 factories in Bengaluru
Thane (PTI): The Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has busted an interstate drug manufacturing and distribution network, dismantling three mephedrone factories in Bengaluru and seizing contraband and machinery worth Rs 55.88 crore, officials said on Sunday.
The action, which is part of a state-wide crackdown against narcotics, began with the arrest of a man on the Pune-Mumbai Highway last week.
The Konkan unit of the ANTF seized mephedrone worth Rs 1.48 crore from the accused, Abdul Kader Rashid Sheikh, on the Pune-Mumbai highway at Vashi village in Navi Mumbai on December 21.
A case was registered, and the probe led the team to Prashant Yallapa Patil, a resident of Belgaum, who was involved in drug manufacturing, and they found out that the three factories were operating in Bengaluru.
Acting on this information, ANTF teams earlier this week arrested Suraj Ramesh Yadav and Malkhan Ramlal Bishnoi, both residents of Rajasthan, who were running the illegal operation in the Karnataka capital, the release stated.
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The accused led investigators to the manufacturing units in NG Golahalli, Yerappanahalli and Kannur, and the raids resulted in the seizure of 21.4 kg of mephedrone, both in solid and liquid forms.
Machinery and chemicals used for production were confiscated, and all three factories were destroyed.
Preliminary findings suggest that mephedrone produced at these units was supplied to multiple states, and the proceeds were used to purchase real estate in Bengaluru.
Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case so far, while efforts are on to nab two key suspects.
