50 arrested for looting in earthquake-hit Turkey, guns seized

Desk: At least 50 people have been arrested for looting in earthquake-ravaged Turkey. Several guns were seized. Several news agencies are reporting loot incidents.

A rescuer said the security situation in the country is likely to worsen as food supplies dwindle. Three rescue teams told news agencies that unrest in southern Turkey after Monday’s devastating earthquake has disrupted rescue efforts.

German rescuers and the Austrian army suspended the search on Saturday. Clashes between unidentified groups were then mentioned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said special powers will be used if anyone breaks the law.

The death toll in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has exceeded 28,000. Martin Griffiths, the United Nations emergency relief coordinator, believes that the number of dead may be more than 50,000.

According to news channels, thousands of buildings have collapsed in both countries. Rescue workers are making strenuous efforts to retrieve the bodies of those trapped under the rubble.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that those who are homeless and sheltered among survivors may face a second disaster as ‘situations become increasingly fragile and dire’ due to severe winter and snow.

WHO director Robert Holden said many people were homeless and living in dire conditions under the open sky. They are without shelter, water, fuel and electricity. This situation will bring about another disaster, which will harm more people than the earthquake.

Last Monday at 4:17 a.m., a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit the southeastern part of Turkey. Its center was near the Turkish city of Gaziantep on the Syrian border. Later several more earthquakes were felt.

(Written by News Desk using information from different news sources available on internet and Twitter.)