Babacan last night: 'There is rescue work in one of every hundred collapsed buildings'

Click to read the article in Turkish

DEVA Party President Ali Babacan was in Hatay, one of the cities worst hit in the 6 February earthquakes. He spoke to the press at night which was broadcast live on some TV channels.

Babacan addressed President and Justice and Development Party Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan here and said, "Such a disaster cannot be managed using threatening language."

The party leader underlined that what we are facing was a huge human tragedy and disaster and that Hatay was almost wiped off the map.

"It is very difficult to reach from one point to another in the city since the buildings collapsed on the avenues and streets. Citizens cannot communicate. The telephone infrastructure and the network are largely destructed. More mobile base stations are needed urgently.

"So in fact there is no work. There are wreckages."

"There is vast destruction. For every rescue effort that you watch on the television or on your mobile phone, there are at least a hundred places where there is no rescue, or where people are unable to rescue. So in fact there is no work. There are wreckages. 10-15 floor buildings have collapsed. Families are trapped, waiting for help, but there is none. Maybe there is rescue work in one of every hundred collapsed buildings. People are waiting helplessly."

The disaster management capacity of the public was very very weak in the face of this devastating earthquake, Babacan said. "It is very difficult to describe without seeing it," he says. Acknowledging that public institutions are making all efforts they can, he underlined that unfortunately, the capacity of the government to coordinate these great efforts, including those of the citizens was not sufficient at all.

"Unidentified dead not yet counted"

The unidentified dead bodies were not counted within the death toll, Babacan said. "I am very sad to say but the figures will rise, and the pain will be stronger each day."

The State of Emergency should only be used for the practical and quick management of the works by the public institutions but not for restricting the basic rights and freedoms, the party leader also underlined.

"You cannot manage it using threatening language"

Babacan also addressed President Erdoğan. "The angry language, the hate speech he used yesterday and today is not appropriate for these days," Babacan said.

He added, "You cannot manage such a disaster with anger, with hate, with dismissive language, and most particularly with threatening language." (AS/PE)