Earthquake in Turkey and Syria kills more than 41 thousand

This is reported by Anadolu and Reuters.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan said that at least 35 418 people are known to have died in Turkey. More than 105 500 people were injured with more than 13 000 of them still in hospitals.

In Syria, according to estimates by the state media and the UN, the death toll reaches 5 814 people.

And the Syrian Civil Defense (the White Helmets) reported 2 274 dead in the northwest of the country which is not controlled by the government.

According to Erdogan, search and rescue operations in the affected regions of Turkey will continue as long as there are still people under the rubble.

He noted that the authorities will be constructing 30 000 houses for earthquake victims starting next month. According to Erdogan, the housing needs of 1.6 million people affected by the earthquake have been met so far.

"More than 175 000 tents and 5 400 container-type houses have been installed in the earthquake zone," he said.

47 000 buildings with 211 000 apartments were destroyed or damaged so badly that they need to be demolished. The Turkish authorities intend to complete the construction of high-quality and safe buildings to meet housing needs throughout the earthquake zone within the year.