48,000 died in Turkish earthquakes —President Erdogan

President Recep Erdogan of Turkey has confirmed that over 48,000 people were killed while 115,000 were injured in the massive earthquakes that hit the eastern parts of the country on February 6.

In a statement on Sunday, Erdogan said the least 230,000 buildings were also destroyed or badly damaged in Turkey which would take billions of dollars to repair.

“The death toll has reached 48,000 and the number of injured has exceeded 115,000,” Erdogan said in a televised address to the nation from the Samandag district of Hatay province.

Read also:Turkish President Erdogan vows to punish journalist who allegedly insulted him

Also confirming the death toll, the head of Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency, Yunus Sezer, said the people who died included 6,278 foreigners, with Syrian nationals accounting for the largest share.

The two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey with an interval of nine hours with thousands of underground shocks that followed felt in 11 Turkish provinces, as well as in the neighboring countries, of which Syria was the most affected.

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