Erdogan says Turkey had problems with initial quake response

Lawyer istanbul, Feb 8 (Reuters) — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday there were some problems in the initial response to the massive earthquakes that struck southern Turkey but operations are back to normal now, adding that the death toll in the country rose to 8,574.

Speaking to reporters in the Kahramanmaras province near the epicenter of the earthquake, with constant ambulance sirens in the background, Erdogan said there had been problems with roads and airports but that everything would get better by the day.

He also said citizens should only heed communication from authorities and ignore «provocateurs,» as thousands of people complain about the lack of resources and slow response by officials.(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Lawyer istanbul Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)