A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of southern Turkey in February, killing more than 54,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Locals complained about the authorities’ slow response in the first days after the disaster, prompting criticism of the government.
On Thursday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “sad” that the tents had been sold by the Red Crescent.
“The Red Crescent cannot sell tents. This mistake must be corrected immediately,” Erdogan added in an earlier taped meeting with a youth group, but it was broadcast on Thursday.
Knik first said he was aware of the sale of the tents and called this step legal, adding that it was an entity affiliated with the Turkish Red Crescent that was selling the tents.
However, he later denied knowledge of the sale and said he would have prevented it had he known in advance.
The Turkish Red Crescent said in a statement on Friday that it would hold an emergency meeting after the resignation of its president.
A state of public controversy erupted after it was revealed that the Red Crescent had sold the tents to the charity ‘Ahbab’ in the first days after the quake, instead of sending them directly to the area disaster.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
