Opposition figures have accused Mr Erdogan of failing to prepare for the earthquake and have questioned how estimated 88bn lira ($4.6bn; £3.8bn) raised from an "earthquake tax" was spent. The levy - first imposed in the wake of a massive quake in 1999 that killed more than 17,000 people - was meant to have been spent on disaster prevention and the development of emergency services.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party said on Wednesday that said Mr Erdogan's government "has not prepared for an earthquake for 20 years". baccarat99th