KEY POINTS:
- Australia aims to have rescue team in Turkey by the end of the week.
- The government has offered an initial $10 million in aid.
- Anthony Albanese said there was a "terrible scale of devastation".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday conceded "shortcomings" after criticism of his government's response to the massive earthquake that has killed over 12,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
The sprawling scale of the disaster that flattened thousands of buildings, trapping an unknown number of people, has swamped relief operations already hampered by freezing weather.
Still, searchers kept pulling survivors from the debris three days after the 7.8 magnitude quake that is already one of the deadliest this century, even as the death toll continues to rise.
As criticism mounted online, Mr Erdogan visited one of the hardest-hit spots, quake epicentre Kahramanmaras, and acknowledged problems in the response.
"Of course, there are shortcomings. The conditions are clear to see. It's not possible to be ready for a disaster like this," he said.
In the Turkish city of Antakya, dozens of bodies, some covered in blankets and sheets and others in body bags, were lined up on the ground outside a hospital.
Thousands have been killed in a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that has rocked Syria and Turkey. Source: AFP, Getty / Aaref Watad
Many in the Turkish disaster zone had slept in their cars or in the streets under blankets, fearful of going back into buildings shaken by the 7.8 magnitude tremor - Turkey's deadliest since 1999 - and by a second powerful quake hours later.
Four Australians missing after devastating earthquake
Australia aims to have a rescue team on the ground in Turkey by the end of the week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also confirmed four Australians who were in the earthquake zone remain unaccounted for, declaring their safety "is our immediate priority".
The federal government this week revealed it would offer an initial $10 million in aid, after a ripped through Turkey and Syria.
Mr Albanese revealed on Wednesday the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was co-ordinating an urban search and rescue team of up to 72 people, which will assist Turkish authorities on the ground.
“Our hearts are heavy. It is impossible to look away from the terrible and heartbreaking scenes of loss,” he told parliament.
“There's a terrible scale of the devastation, whole blocks levelled and buried. But the real devastation, of course, is for people.”
Mr Albanese said the team was “highly trained” to locate , deliver medical assistance, and retrieve people still trapped beneath the rubble.
DFAT was working closely with Fire and Rescue NSW and the Australian Defence Force to co-ordinate their departure “as soon as possible”, he said.
“[The] aim [is] to have people on the ground by the end of this week. I want to thank the personnel and their families in advance,” he said.
“Once again, they’re willing to support people wherever support is needed.”
Penny Wong has confirmed four Australians remain unaccounted for. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“Those scenes and those names, whilst they're a far distance from our shores, should not be forgotten, and should not drift from our minds,” he said.
“We have an obligation to support our friends around the world.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton opened Question Time by asking Mr Albanese for an update on Australia’s response, a rare moment of bipartisanship in what is typically a combative format.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed four Australians who were in the region at the time of the earthquake remained unaccounted for.
“Obviously, their safety is our immediate priority and consular officials in Ankara are working with local authorities and others on the ground to assist them,” she said.
DFAT was also working to provide assistance to roughly 40 other Australians in the area.
- With AAP
