Earthquake death toll in Turkey rises to 43,556, minister says

A woman walks past street art on the rubble of damaged buildings in the rebel-held town of Jandaris, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Syria February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The number of people killed in Turkey in this month's devastating earthquakes has risen to 43,556, the country's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said overnight.

Soylu told state broadcaster TRT Haber that there had been 7,930 aftershocks following the first quake on Feb. 6 and that more than 600,000 apartments and 150,000 commercial premises had suffered at least moderate damage.

A man walks by a collapsed building and rubble, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey, February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

(Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)