Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday the government would take action against those involved in looting and other crimes in the region hit by this week's devastating earthquakesas the issue of security there came into focus.
We've declared a state of emergency," he said during a visit to the disaster zone. "It means that, from now on, the people who are involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the state's firm hand is on their backs," he said.
On Friday he said there had been looting in some areas. It was not clear what incidents of kidnapping Erdogan was referring to.