Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has apologized for the delay in rescue operations and the provision of aid to the residents of Antiyaman province, one of the worst-hit Turkish provinces since the devastating February 6 earthquake.

“Due to the destructiveness of the tremors and the bad weather conditions, we could not work as we wanted in Antiyaman for many days. I apologize for that,” the Turkish president said during his visit to the province, three weeks after the earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey and also struck neighboring Syria.

Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and dozens injured after the 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Turkish province of Malatya today, causing buildings to collapse, the disaster management agency (Afad) announced.

“Unfortunately, one of our fellow citizens lost his life, 69 injured were taken to hospitals,” the head of the service, Yunus Sezer, announced at a press conference.

About thirty buildings collapsed from today’s aftershock.

The mayor of the city of Gezilyurt, which is near the epicenter, told Habertürk television that a father and daughter who were trying to gather personal belongings in their home were buried under the rubble of one of the collapsed buildings.

“Buildings have collapsed and search and rescue teams have rushed to the scene,” Afad announced on Twitter.

The earthquake struck at 12:04 local time, according to Afad.

Malatya province was hit by the devastating earthquake on February 6, which killed 44,374, according to the official count. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake destroyed 170,000 buildings in 11 Turkish provinces and also affected neighboring Syria.

Since February 6, about 10,000 aftershocks have been recorded in Turkey, according to Afad.

More than 44,374 people died in Turkey in the two powerful earthquakes on February 6, the head of Turkey’s Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) said today, in the latest toll from the disaster.

Strong earthquakes hit 10 provinces in southern Turkey and more than 13 million people have been affected.

Yunus Sezer, head of AFAD, said search and rescue operations had been completed in around 21,000 buildings, adding: “We are now fully focused on removing the debris.”

At least 9,900 aftershocks have been recorded since the two major earthquakes, he said.

“We send more than 10,000 tents to the regions on average every day and deliver them to the most remote corners. Today we have 287 tent cities in the region,” Sezer emphasized.

More than 1.5 million people are staying in tents, containers and public hostels in the disaster areas, he added, adding that 563,000 people were evacuated outside the disaster area.

People’s anger at Erdogan

With presidential and parliamentary elections looming, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity, already battered by the economic crisis, has taken another hit

Fans of Turkish football club Besiktas, following the example of fans of another football club, Fenerbahce, chanted slogans calling on the Turkish government to step down, almost three weeks after the devastating earthquake in southeastern Turkey, in one of the rare loud and open protests against authorities in the country.

“Government, resign!” chanted by thousands of Besiktas fans in Istanbul at the Inonou Stadium this evening during the league match against Antalyaspor.

They also threw stuffed animals on the lawn to honor child victims of the February 6 earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey and also hit neighboring Syria.

On Saturday, Fenerbahce fans chanted “Lies, deceptions, it’s been 20 years, resign!” during a match against Konyaspor.

With presidential and parliamentary elections looming, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity, already battered by the economic crisis, has taken another hit.