Minister: Earthquakes left over 164,000 buildings collapsed, severely damaged in Türkiye

Kurum observing the destruction in Antep on February 22. (Photo: AA)

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The February 6 earthquakes centered in the southern city of Maraş have left 164,321 buildings collapsed or severely damaged, the minister of environment and urbanization said today (February 23).

The ministry has inspected 1.25 million buildings consisting of 4.5 million independent sections in 11 cities, Murat Kurum said at a disaster coordination center in Adıyaman.

"Adıyaman is one of the most affected cities by the earthquake. Within this scope, we have demolished 20,987 buildings with 56,685 independent sections," said the minister.

About the rebuilding efforts, Kurum said some 200,000 new housing units will be built in the region, adding that the contracts for thousands of them had been completed.

On February 6, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern city of Maraş.

The quakes caused destruction in 11 cities with a population of 14 million in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as Syria's northern parts.

The official death toll from the quakes stands at over 42,000 and is expected to increase further, given the number of buildings that were destroyed. (RT/VK)