Responding to online criticism of the government’s handling of the Earthquake that hit Turkey three days ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday admitted to the "shortcomings" of his government's response to the massive earthquake that has claimed over 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

President Erdogan visited one of the hardest-hit spots, quake epicenter Kahramanmaras, and acknowledged problems in the response admitting that there are shortcomings, the conditions are clear to see and that it would not have been possible to be ready for a disaster like this.

The sprawling scale of the disaster that flattened thousands of buildings, trapping an unknown number of people, has swamped relief operations already hampered by freezing weather. Survivors have been left to scramble for food and shelter -- and in some cases watch helplessly as their relatives called for rescue, and eventually went silent under the debris.

A kindergarten teacher in Turkey's Hatay, Semire Coban said that her nephew, her sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law's sister are in the ruins. They are trapped under the ruins and there is no sign of life. She also added that they can't reach them, they are trying to talk to them, but they are not responding.

Still, searchers kept pulling survivors from the debris three days after the 7.8 magnitude quake that is already one of the deadliest this century, even as the death toll continues to rise.