Turkey to re-enable Twitter access 'shortly', says Elon Musk
1 min read . Updated: 09 Feb 2023, 06:55 AM IST
Premium- The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria climbed above 15,000 on Wednesday, as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in freezing weather
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday informed that microblogging site Twitter will be ‘shortly’ enabled in Turkey, after it was banned by authorities citing surging misiformation at a time of extreme crisis.
The death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria climbed above 15,000 on Wednesday, as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in freezing weather.
Officials and medics said 12,391 people had died in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria from Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 15,383.
“Twitter has been informed by the Turkish government that access will be reenabled shortly" Twitter Chief Executive Elon Musk posted on the microblogging site an hour ago.
On Wednesday, the Netblocks internet observatory, which tracks connectivity across the globe, said that Twitter access had been restricted two days after a major earthquake killed thousands in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
"Real-time network data show Twitter has been restricted in Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes," said Netblocks, which tracks connectivity across the globe.
Netblocks reported earlier that, "Real-time network data show Twitter has been restricted in Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes."
Turkey's Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Turkish people have taken to Twitter since the earthquake to post information about loved ones they cannot reach, reports of collapsed buildings in the area and coordination for aid.
The confirmed death toll rose to 9,057 in Turkey on Wednesday, and in Syria had climbed to at least 2,950, according to the government and a rescue service operating in the rebel-held northwest.
