Turkish police have detained 37 people for their social media posts related to Monday's devastating earthquakes that devastated areas in Turkey and neighboring Syria, BTA reports.

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The earthquake in Turkey and Syria 279

The detainees shared posts "with the aim of instilling fear and panic among the population", informed the police in a message on "Twitter".

It is not specified which posts are in question.

An earthquake like this in Turkey happens once in a thousand years

Several websites were also shut down because, for example, their operators wanted to take advantage of people's willingness to help and cheated donors, police added.

Many media outlets in Turkey are under government control, making social media an important resource for alternative information, although these posts are often difficult to verify.

Twitter was temporarily blocked in Turkey on Wednesday as the opposition said the government was trying to silence criticism of its handling of the earthquake crisis.

In Hatay County - one of the hardest hit - people were left to fend for themselves for a long time.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged there were problems with the rescue effort, but accused those who criticized the late arrival of aid of spreading lies.

At least 18,991 people have died and 75,523 have been injured as a result of the two strong earthquakes, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced today.

In neighboring Syria, the dead are 3,384.

The earthquake in Turkey and Syria

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earthquake in Turkey

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