The Directorate of Communications rebuffed allegations about the closure of a soup kitchen and “illicit trade” by the disaster management agency in Türkiye’s earthquake-hit cities. The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications has disproved another set of claims making rounds on social media and certain networks concerning the earthquake-stricken provinces in Türkiye’s southeast.
A daily bulletin issued Wednesday countered a series of allegations that surfaced on March 13-14, particularly about a soup kitchen in Malatya province, one of the 11 disaster-hit provinces, and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
“The claim that a soup kitchen set up by the Felicity Party (SP) in Malatya was closed by the city governorate is manipulation,” the directorate clarified.
“The soup kitchen is to be moved to another location since temporary workplaces are to be built on that location,” the source explained and stressed that there was no closure or obstruction of the kitchen’s activities.
As for AFAD, the directorate lashed out at an allegation that the agency “sold cranes in the earthquake-hit zone” and that “citizens are paying TL 10,000 hourly to avail crane services." Reiterating that the claim was patently false, the directorate informed that a total of 272,046 personnel, as well as 18,053 cranes and construction vehicles belonging to the state and private sector, are currently functional in 11 provinces affected by the tremors.
“As part of the State of Emergency Act and Disaster Law, a required number of cranes, construction equipment, off-road vehicles and similar tools have been assigned from the private sector whose expenses will be borne by AFAD,” the directorate further said.
“AFAD has so far not received any complaint, report, rumor, information or document that corresponds or corroborates with the said claims and incidents,” the statement added.
Turkish authorities have sought to contain widespread disinformation and propaganda that could undermine rescue and recovery efforts or “incite chaos” in the disaster-hit zone since Feb. 6 earthquakes struck.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors left nearly 50,000 people dead and at least 115,000 injured in Türkiye, and inflicted at least 6,000 fatalities in northwestern Syria. Some 13 million have been affected in the 11 cities where thousands of state and voluntary personnel are working to tend to wounds, shelter and feed the displaced while clearing rubble left over by the massive destruction.
