Turkey and Syria earthquake death toll near 11,500 as Erdoğan defends response

Turkish president rejects growing criticism as rescuers continue to pull survivors from freezing rubble

• Turkey and Syria earthquake: follow latest updates

Turkey's president has rejected growing criticism of the authorities' response to Monday's huge earthquakes, as the death toll passed 12,000 across Turkey and Syria and rescuers continued to pull survivors from the freezing rubble.

Making his first visit to Turkey's worst-affected region since the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude quakes hit within hours of each other, Recep Tayyip Erdoan acknowledged early problems with Turkey's response but said it was now working well.