The number of people killed by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey’s southeast reached 48,000, with over 115,000 people injured, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, Sahara Reporters reports.
“The death toll has reached 48,000, and the number of injured has exceeded 115,000,” Mr Erdogan said in a televised address to the nation from the Samandag district of Hatay province.
On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey with an interval of nine hours.
Thousands of underground shocks that followed were felt in 11 Turkish provinces and the neighbouring countries, of which Syria was the most affected.
In February, the Turkish police said they arrested 78 people accused of creating fear and panic by "sharing provocative posts" about the earthquake on social media, adding that 20 of them were being held in pre-trial detention.
Turkey's General Directorate of Security said it had identified 613 people accused of making provocative posts, and legal proceedings had been initiated against 293, Reuters reports.
According to the report of this group, the chief prosecutor had ordered the arrest of 78.
The directorate had added that 46 websites were shut down for running "phishing scams" trying to steal donations for quake victims and 15 social media accounts posing as official institutions were closed.
Last October, Turkey's parliament adopted a law under which journalists and social media users could be jailed for up to three years for spreading "disinformation", raising concerns among rights groups and European countries about free speech, particularly ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections due this summer.
President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party had said a law was needed to tackle false accusations on social media, and it would not silence opposition. The government has also blocked social media in the past.
