Turkey earthquake: Erdogan seeks forgiveness over quake rescue delays

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked radical successful a heavy quake-hit country of Turkey for knowing implicit rescue delays, amid mounting choler astatine the government's response.

On a sojourn to Adiyaman, Mr Erdogan said the tremors and atrocious upwind meant "we could not enactment arsenic we would person liked". "For this, I inquire forgiveness," helium said.

More than 50,000 radical are known to person been killed successful Turkey and Syria aft immense earthquakes connected 6 February.

A new, smaller quake has deed Turkey.

It killed astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and injured much than 100 radical successful Malatya province, northbound of Adiyaman. Search and rescue teams were trying to find respective radical believed to beryllium trapped nether collapsed buildings.

There person been 4 caller earthquakes and 45 aftershocks of magnitudes 5-6 since the 2 monolithic quakes connected 6 February, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

AFAD main Orhan Tatar described it arsenic "very bonzer activity".

The World Bank says the 6 February quakes caused astir $34bn (£28bn) of nonstop harm successful Turkey, but the outgo of reconstruction could beryllium astir doubly that figure. Meanwhile World Bank authoritative Anna Bjerde said the concern successful Syria was "really catastrophic".

Mr Erdogan - who is seeking re-election arsenic president successful polls to beryllium held by June - has been touring immoderate of the worst-hit areas. His sojourn to Adiyaman came aft beardown disapproval of the exigency effect determination from section people.

"I did not spot anyone until 2:00 p.m. connected the 2nd time of the earthquake," Adiyaman nonmigratory Mehmet Yildirim told AFP earlier this month.

"No government, nary state, nary police, nary soldiers. Shame connected you! You near america connected our own."

The catastrophe near 1.5 cardinal radical stateless and galore thousands of radical stay without structure oregon sanitation. There are shortages of tents for survivors.

Discontent has dispersed astir the country, with shot fans singing "government resign" astatine matches this weekend.

Fans of Besiktas successful Turkey's biggest metropolis Istanbul threw thousands of brushed toys onto the pitch, to beryllium distributed to children affected by the earthquake.

Meanwhile riot constabulary detained protesters astatine a objection successful Istanbul.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed oregon were severely damaged connected 6 February.

The authorities says hundreds of radical are nether probe and astir 200 radical - including operation contractors and spot owners - person already been arrested.

Experts had warned for years that endemic corruption and authorities policies meant galore caller buildings were unsafe.

In Adiyaman, Mr Erdogan vowed to physique much than 500,000 caller homes on with infrastructure, aesculapian centres and parks.

Turkey is owed to clasp statesmanlike and parliamentary elections by June. Mr Erdogan is seeking different word arsenic president aft 20 years successful power.